The Free Clinic of Meridian Is In Great Need of Supplies

In Meridian, a local clinic that provides free medical care for more than 900 residents in the community has been impacted by the pandemic, and is in need of supplies.

The Free Clinic of Meridian, as a non-profit organization, relies greatly on community support, and due to the pandemic, the clinic has seen an uptick in patient applicants. The increase in patients is causing the clinic to go through supplies at a faster rate.

With the increase in patients, Stephanie Woodall, Executive Director of The Free Clinic of Meridian shared that the clinic is currently in need of toilet paper, 45-gallon trash bags, cleaning supplies, and hand soap.

“Now that we’re back open, and we’re seeing more patients –and we’re having a lot of new patients come through, we are starting to go through our pile that we had, so we are needing to replace those. The number of applications we’re getting each week has increased. So, we want to be able to sustain the clinic and be able to provide for these patients and have what we need,” said Stephanie Woodall.

In addition to running low on supplies, the clinic has been experiencing a shortage in another department since the pandemic began.

“We’re really low on volunteers, since COVID has happened. So, that’s definitely impacted the clinic as well. You know, a lot of our volunteers don’t feel comfortable coming back, and you know, we respect that and understand that,” said Woodall.

She also offers a reminder to community residents who may need the clinic’s assistance, if their health care has been impacted by the pandemic.

“The most important thing is to get the word out that there is a resource in our community, for those who don’t have anywhere to go. You know, if somebody’s lost their job, if somebody doesn’t have the help that is the whole reason we exist. We exist to help people who have no access to health care,” said Woodall.

The Free Clinic of Meridian is currently accepting donations at its location on Poplar Springs Drive, and donations can also be made on the clinic’s website.