Eureka Christian Health Outreach, a free health clinic in Eureka Springs since 2005, will host an all-day free ECHO MASH Clinic on Saturday, July 13. The clinic may be particularly helpful for people who were removed from Medicaid coverage after the end of the Covid pandemic.
Politico has reported that Arkansas moved at a breakneck speed to remove people from Medicaid coverage in 2023, at times for procedural reasons instead of lack of eligibility. Dr. Dan Bell, co-founder of the ECHO Clinic, said local healthcare workers hope to help fill that gap in healthcare coverage.
“The clinic will be called the ECHO MASH Clinic, which stands for ‘May All Stay Healthy’,” Bell said. “It is an obvious spin off of the famous old TV series MASH. The ECHO MASH clinic will emphasize preventive care and wellness, and hopes to reach those in the community who are not receiving healthcare.”
The clinic will start at 9 a.m. and the last patient will be scheduled at 4 p.m. Medical, dental and optometry care will be provided at no cost. Boston Mountain Rural Health Clinic is collaborating with ECHO and will provide free X-ray and laboratory work as needed to provide thorough health evaluations.
Bell said the clinic is for those with no medical insurance whose income is less than 135 percent of the federal poverty level, which is $20,000 per year for an individual, $27,000 for a couple, or $42,000 for a family of four.
“If you are uninsured and meet these income criteria go to ECHOMashClinic2024.as.me and schedule an appointment,” Bell said. “If you are unable to do this online, call (479)) 253-5547, and leave a message with your name, date of birth, your phone number, and what kind of appointment you wish.
“We have an amazing staff available to the community. The clinic will be staffed by Dr. Jon Loudermilk, Dr. Greg Kresse, Dr. John Nash, John Hutchcroft, Sheila Howerton, Michael Murphy, Dr. Stuart Zimmerman and Dr. Dan Bell. Dr. Ken Covington will provide dental care, and Dr. Jim Dudley and Dr. Andy Langston will provide optometry care. These providers bring a total of 400 years of patient experience to serve the community and they are offering their services free. It is incredible that we have such a generous medical community.”
In addition to the providers listed above, volunteers include Clinic Director Janet Arnett, Director of Nursing Deb O’Donnell, and nurses Karen Finkeldei, Vicki Brown, Joyce Eggert, Jean Reed, Chryl Hoyt, Janet Corley and Jean Vieux. Chuck and Karen Welch are shepherds. Steve Roberson, Connie Featherstone and Brian Watson serve as pharmacy techs.
Since its establishment 19 years ago, ECHO has served 3,000 individual patients with 10,000 patient visits for medical, dental and optometry care. When the COVID pandemic struck, ECHO was one of the first to obtain vaccines, and ultimately gave 4,000 immunizations and boosters to the community in free drive-through clinics.