TROUP CARES FILLS HEALTHCARE GAP WITH MEDICAL HOME FOR COUNTY’S UNDER-INSURED
LaGrange, Ga. (April 18, 2023) – Troup Cares, Inc., a non-profit medical clinic for the working under-insured in Troup County, looks just like any other private-pay doctor’s office, and it’s located in a professional building complex near Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center. In fact, Troup Cares works closely with the doctors and departments of the medical center with patient referrals.
The only difference with this doctor’s office and in-house pharmacy is one you can’t see. It’s the fact that healthcare is provided at no cost to the patient.
“The founders of Troup Cares, Dr. Tom Gore and Dr. Bob Copeland, saw a need to help working people in this county by providing healthcare services at no cost to them when they didn’t have health insurance, or enough health insurance, through their employer,” said Ray Holmes, Board Vice President of Troup Cares. “They also wanted every patient to have the same dignity and respect here that you would find in any private-pay, professional physician’s office.
We wanted this to be a professional home for the folks who call us their doctor’s office.”
“Many of our Board members have served as volunteers in the clinic and served on the Board for years. Whether Board members or clinic volunteers, our volunteers are this organization’s strength and heart. Under the passionate leadership of our Executive Director, Jennifer Bryant, RN NP, the clinic is making a difference in the lives of Troup County residents,” said Troup Cares Board Chair Sally Richter, EdD, RN.
Today, Jennifer Bryant is practically the “doctor” for many clinic patients. She makes routine diagnoses and prescribes medicine through the clinic’s in-house pharmacy which is staffed by volunteer pharmacists. For more advanced medical issues, Troup Cares refers patients to specialists at the medical center in the same complex.
“I do this because I love helping people,” Bryant said. “We provide care to keep people active and working. A typical case is recently, a man came here, and his employer said he couldn’t work because his blood pressure was too high. We assessed the situation and got his blood pressure under control, and he successfully got back to work,” she said. Many of the cases at the clinic concern the routine management of health conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure, medicines for which are significantly reduced in cost by the manufacturers to Troup Cares.
The clinic currently operates with three in-clinic practitioners which includes Bryant as well as Medical Director Dr. Gary Solt, and a network of 15 volunteer practitioners. Troup Cares offers a range of medical services, including cardiology, chiropractic, dermatology, gastroenterology, gynecology, nephrology, optometry, orthopedics, physical therapy, podiatry, pulmonology, surgery, urology, and other services.
Patients interested in an appointment at Troup Cares should contact LaGrange Personal Aid at (706) 882-9291 for an interview. Troup Cares is open four days per week, and physician referral services are available five days per week. In addition, Troup Cares provides pharmaceutical and care manager functions to ensure patients receive the necessary support for their medical needs.
The Georgia Baptist Healthcare Ministry Foundation recognizes the important role Troup Cares plays in Troup County, with Troup Cares receiving a $60,000 grant recently to help support the clinic’s primary care function. “We love the mission of Troup Cares, and just as importantly, how they execute on that mission,” said Larry Wynn, Executive Director of the GBHCMF. “It’s so consistent with Christ’s ministry of healing while He was on earth, and we continue to pursue that example with great Georgia organizations like Troup Cares,” he said.
Troup Cares relies on the generosity of donors and community support to continue its mission. To donate or to learn more about the organization, please visit www.troupcares.org.
About the Georgia Baptist Health Care Ministry Foundation (GBHCMF): The GBHCMF exists to demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ through the provision of healthcare grants to non-profit healthcare providers. It manages charitable legacy assets from the Georgia Baptist Health Care System, which has a 100-year history of providing healing to those in need. Funds are expended in the form of grants supporting heath care needs that benefit organizations and individuals across the state of Georgia. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. For more information, please visit www.gbhcmf.org.
Published August 13, 2023