By Ariana Rayburn
On February 24th and 26th, the Fortuna, Eureka, and McKinleyville churches engaged their call to ministry by hosting a free medical, dental, and vision clinic.
Snow fell steadily at the Fortuna ACS, making travel impossible for some. Conditions thwarted plans to offer vision services, but an energetic team of volunteers were ready for the 150 patients, some arriving long before the start time.
Volunteers organized the 2-day event with the NCC Health Ministries, which has contracted with the Life & Health Network (LHN).
LHN provided dental equipment and supplies for the clinic. One volunteer stated, “An event of this kind was new in our community and much greater than could be met.” The clinic had reached the capacity of dental patients before 10 AM.
Around the campus, pastoral staff provided childcare, made lunches for the volunteers, and even ran a food preparation class to control diabetes. Other services included orthopedic consults and lab services.
Dr. Reuben Brinkhaus, a volunteer, stated, “This event showed us how the need for care is so close. These are our neighbors. Everybody was blessed, volunteers and patients, and I hope we can find a way to do this regularly.”
Featured in Northern Lights, March 23, 2023
