A matter of health and self-esteem
“Wearing soiled clothing can actually affect your health, not to mention your self-esteem,” said Brenda Jacobs, D.N.P., APRN, chief executive officer of the Daughters of Charity Services of Arkansas, which operates the clinic and another in nearby Dumas. “Yet we saw that for too many of our patients, a washer and dryer were ‘luxuries’ they simply could not afford, and our community has no laundromat. We decided it was worthwhile for us to give patients greater peace of mind and self-esteem to be able to fulfill this basic need for themselves and their families.”
Patients have responded to the service with gratitude, and a handful of people come each day to use the two sets of washers and dryers for the nominal fee of 50 cents a load. But laundry access is just the beginning of what the clinic offers.
A changing community
Gould’s population (755) is less than half of what it was 20 years ago (1,600+), and abandoned and crumbling buildings dot the landscape as an endless procession of heavy-laden tractor-trailer rigs speed by on U.S. Highway 65. “I think it is extremely important to meet patients exactly where they are,” Jacobs said. “Gould is an economically depressed area with absolutely no local access to a grocery store – except for the one convenience store, which, from a health perspective, has all of the wrong kinds of food.”The clinic’s location on the highway perfectly illustrates Jacobs’ point: The lone convenience store sits a few dozen yards north, and a defunct Foodliner store, vacant for about 10 years now, is the next neighbor to the south.
A bright spot
Yet, here in this fading community is a beacon of progressive healthcare. The clinic is such a light that it has become a gathering place and a community lifeline. As part of its holistic philosophy, the clinic offers family medicine, dental care, a full-service wellness center, pharmacy assistance, social services, Hispanic medical interpretation, a patient advisory committee, a community liaison and a community garden where anyone can come and pick healthy foods.
Brenda Jacobs, D.N.P., APRN, chief executive officer of the Daughters of Charity Services of Arkansas.