MEMPHIS, Tenn. — With more than 700,000 Tennessee residents uninsured in 2020, the Wellness and Stress Clinic of Memphis is aiming to provide care for the people at a high risk for not getting healthcare.
A Rhodes College professor is at the heart of this initiative.
Peter Hossler, the Director of the Wellness and Stress Clinic, was able to get the doors open in 2018 following a conversation with a local Bishop and Pastor.
“In the spring of 2017 I was put in contact with Bishop William Young and his wife, Pastor Dianne Young, through a local foundation,” Hossler said. “I was doing some work and they were very interested in starting a free primary care clinic."
Hossler encourages those who don’t have health insurance, as well as those who may not understand their health insurance, to contact the clinic for information as the clinic provide a wide range of resources – all for free.
“We work hard to try to access grant funding and to try to raise money locally amongst Memphis, but for all of our clients... there’s no charge,” Hossler said. “If they want to see a primary care physician, there’s no charge. If they want to see a social worker, there’s no charge. If they want to see somebody in mental health, all of those services are completely free.”
The clinic is located at the Healing Center Baptist Church and open for appointments and walk-ins Monday evenings from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. (walk-ins from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.), with goals to accommodate more patients in the future.
“Our goal is to be able to provide healthcare to as many people in the surrounding area who [have] a need for healthcare,” Nurse Practitioner Keevia Porter said. “Medication prescriptions, medication refills, we can do physicals, we can do some basic laboratory work. We can [also] do some screenings for mental health illnesses and mental health disorders [and] we can provide them services through social work where they may need food or utility assistance.”
Providing endless care for Memphians, the clinic does use grants to keep its’ doors open. If you would like to donate to the clinic, you can do so here. If you’d like to learn more about becoming a patient or even working for the clinic to assist them in widening their services to more days each week, you can reach out to the clinic on via their website.