Medical clinic added to homeless center

Little Rock’s homeless day resource center now has an on-site medical clinic that will serve people regardless of their ability to pay.

The Open Hands Clinic, operated by Jefferson Comprehensive Care System Inc., began serving patients at its new location in the basement of Jericho Way Resource Center at 3000 Springer Blvd. on Monday.

“We believe this is going to be a huge asset for one of our city’s most vulnerable populations,” Ivan Hudson, chairman of the board for Jefferson Comprehensive Care, said Tuesday at an event to mark the clinic’s opening.

About five people went in with a variety of ailments on Monday, registered nurse Kathy Woods said. The clinics hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Mondays and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays. More than 150 people visit Jericho Way each day.

“All they have to do here is just walk around the corner,” Arkansas Homeless Coalition President Sandra Wilson said. “The easy access to health care is so important to the many who will be here.”

The clinic serves as a primary care facility that provides family medical care, immunizations, women’s health, cancer screenings, diagnostics, preventive care, case management, substance abuse services, and referrals for radiology. It has a medication assistance program, and medicine can be prescribed.

Jefferson Comprehensive Care previously operated a clinic on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. The move and renovations to Jericho Way cost just over $200,000, according to Sandra Brown, the chief executive officer for Jefferson Comprehensive Care.

The clinic does not require co-pays for homeless patients but does have a sliding fee scale based on federal poverty guidelines. It is federally funded and bills patients’ insurance if they have it, but patients without insurance are not turned away, Brown said.