Free clinic’s work helps to prevent serious illness in local residents
By Dan Hager, Executive Director
HUNTINGTON, WV – West Virginia’s death rate from influenza has been steadily climbing for the last few years. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the state’s 2022 death rate from influenza or pneumonia of 21.5 per 100,000 was the highest in the nation.
That makes efforts like those by Ebenezer Medical Outreach, Huntington’s free and charitable clinic, so important. On a beautiful fall afternoon, 20 community members received an influenza vaccination on Friday October 18 free of charge. This was made possible through Ebenezer’s partnership with the Cabell-Huntington Health Department.
Getting a yearly flu shot is an important preventive step. Studies have shown that vaccination can prevent getting sick with flu or else reduce its severity. Vaccination also reduces the risk of flu-associated hospitalization and death. It is especially important for people with chronic health conditions like heart disease, lung disease, and diabetes, who have greater risks when sick with flu.
Appropriately enough, the vaccine clinic coincided with Ebenezer’s Medically Indicated Food Box distribution. Made possible through the partnership of Facing Hunger Foodbank, 55 food boxes are distributed each month to Ebenezer patients experiencing food insecurity. These boxes are specially prepared to support those with chronic conditions like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes.
With nutritious food and vaccinations, patients received two important services to prevent illness for the price of one. Best of all, that price was “free” for those patients. They did not even need to get out of their cars: Ebenezer staff and volunteers from Cabell County Career and Technical Center’s Medical Assistant program loaded the food boxes while Health Department personnel administered vaccines through open car windows.
Programs like this are an important part of Ebenezer’s work to build a healthy community. When added to Ebenezer’s free and charitable primary care, dental care, specialty care, pharmacy services, and laboratory services, the result is high quality care.
In fact, among Ebenezer’s patients with diabetes, over 78% have their blood sugar well-controlled with an HBA1C of less than 9. For patients with high blood pressure, over 67% had it adequately controlled at less than 140/90. Performance like that beats benchmarks.
It appears Benjamin Franklin had it right: “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
Ebenezer is working every day to build a healthy community. Its team of compassionate staff and dedicated volunteers provides high-quality, free and charitable primary care, pharmacy, dental, and more to the uninsured, underinsured, and those on Medicaid. Prospective patients, volunteers, and donors are invited to call Ebenezer Medical Outreach at 304-529-0753 or to visit https://emohealth.org/ to learn more.