By Betsy Finklea
An appreciation dinner was held for the volunteers at the Dillon County Free Medical Clinic on Friday, November 14, in the fellowship hall of Dillon First Baptist Church.
In his opening remarks, Ernest Barrentine, Executive Director of the Dillon County Free Medical Clinic, said the volunteers are the “backbone of the clinic” and spoke of how appreciative everyone is of the volunteers.
The clinic started with eight patients when it opened in February 2012 and now has over 300 patients, Barrentine said. Last year, the clinic had approximately 700 visitors. This year the number of visitors is expected to break the 1,000 mark. Most of these patients have quit using the emergency room as a primary care facility.
After Barrentine’s initial remarks, Stephanie Johnson entertained the guests with a song.
The blessing of the food was given by Don Luehrs, a community partner.
The guests enjoyed a delicious meal prepared by Vicki Simerly.
After the meal, Stephanie Johnson sang a song. After Johnson’s song, Barrentine presented gifts of appreciation to Dr. Paul Freel, Rev. Eugen “Buddy” Bach, and Vicki Simerly. Dr. Freel is the medical director of the clinic. Barrentine said that it says a lot when someone takes time out of their own practice to help others. Rev. Back is the chaplain for the medical clinic staff. Every other Thursday, he meets with the staff for devotion and prayer and is available to help the staff members with personal issues. Simerly volunteered her time to cook the meal and has made other contributions.
Barrentine said it was a blessing to be associated with a group of people who care about what they are doing and who they are treating.
Barrentine said many good things have happened at the clinic, and he has seen many good things. He said one patient’s eyesight was saved. He said he has seen staff pay out of their pockets to help someone who could not afford their medication. He has seen staff wash a homeless person’s feet.
Barrentine said doctors and nurses are not just interested in treating the patient, but also in passing on knowledge.
He also spoke about the improvements in equipment since the clinic’s doors first opened and said they hope to expand more.
After his remarks, door prizes were given. Door prizes were donated by local businesses.
Volunteers were presented gift bags composed of items from community partners and vendors.
Volunteers are Sheila McDaniel, Beth McDaniel, Robbie McDaniel, Allie McDaniel, Johnnie Luehrs, Christine Smith, Lynn Bowman, Cindy Davis, Jenny Hood, Pat Woodard, Gwen Carroll, Denise Parker, Anna Alford, Alicia Alford, Kim George, Dr. Robin Shealy, Dr. Nardin Khalil, Dr. Timothy Fitzgibbon, Dr. Granville Vance, Dr. Michael Brown, Dr. Walter Blum, and Dr. Paul Freel.

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