A Storehouse For Jesus Medical Ministries has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the N.C. Baptist Hospital Foundation.

Dr. John McConnell, CEO of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, said: “This foundation supports community-based programs and services that seek to serve the broader health care needs of the population served by North Carolina Baptist Hospital, a component of Wake Forest Baptist Health. The foundation is pleased to extend its long tradition of healing ministries”to Davie County through partnership with A Storehouse For Jesus.”

This grant will be used to purchase medications that cannot be gotten through the Mediation Assistance Program.

A Storehouse For Jesus Medical Ministries also received the N.C. Association of Free and Charitable Clinics 2016 Spirit of Free Clinics Award. The award was presented to Marie Collins, executive director and founder of the Storehouse, by Randy Jordon, CEO, and Mark Scheerer, deputy director, of the association.

“The Storehouse Medical Ministries exemplifies the spirt of free clinics and the free clinic movement,” Scheerer said. “Their leadership characteristics have been critical to advancing the cause of the uninsured in North Carolina, as well as their passion and determination that is needed to sustain the vitality of the free clinic movement.

“They have been actively engaged in the activities, projects and initiatives of the North Carolina Association of Free and Charitable Clinics. The award was given to highlight and celebrate the sacrifice, compassion and contributions made by the Storehouse Medical Ministries,”  Jordon said. “After seeing your clinic today, we affirmed the reasons why the medical ministries is such a worth recipient of this award.”

A Storehouse For Jesus Medical Ministries began serving Davie County residents in October 2000; the pharmacy became licensed with the state and began dispensing medications in December 2001.

To qualify for the medical ministries, patients must live in Davie County, have household incomes that are below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level and be without any type of medical insurance. Patients are seen by appointments. All services are free, though patients may leave a donation in the pharmacy donation box if they so choose.

The pharmacy does not fill, nor do providers write, prescriptions for controlled substances.

In 2015, the pharmacy dispensed 16,618 medications at a value of $2,287,420. There were 41,010 patient visits to pharmacy last year. Bob Rauch, pharmacy director, expressed a need for additional pharmacists and medication assistance program volunteers.

The total value for services rendered in the Medical Ministries to 716 unduplicated patients was $2,722,683. The medical ministries serves as the primary provider for their patients.

Sister Martha Hoyle, RN, medical clinics coordinator and head nurse, said: “The medical ministries has been able to save lives and greatly improve the quality of health care and lives of our patients.”

The medical clinic is held Thursday evenings; chronic care clinic Tuesday mornings; women’s clinic one Monday a month; psychiatric clinic (must be referred by a Storehouse provider) three Tuesday mornings a month; eye clinic once a month; dental clinic (extractions only at this time) once a month; and chiropractic clinic two Thursdays evenings a month.

Diabetic/nutrition classes are held Tuesday mornings and Thursday evenings, in cooperation with Davie County Health Department.

Dr. George Kimberly, medical ministries and medical clinics director, stated the need for additional providers, nurses and dentists.  “By the time patients come to us, a lot of them have various complicated and serious health problems,” Kimberly said.

The medical ministries, Collins said, send appreciation to LabCorp, Health Care Access, N.C. Baptist Hospital, Davie Medical Center, Davie County Health Department, and Davie Dermatology, and to the residents of Davie and surrounding communities.

A Storehouse For Jesus is a volunteer ministry, with all services given freely. The ministries within Storehouse are distribution, medical, evangelism, hair, legal (must be a Davie resident, a Storehouse client/patient who has been referred by the Storehouse, be age 65+, or terminally ill), and outreach ministries (currently, through mission trips, to Rosebud and Pine Ridge Reservations in South Dakota.

“I cannot say enough about the Storehouse volunteers,” Collins said. “They are so dedicated, compassionate, hard working and faithful – they go above and beyond in their work and the sacrifice of their time and lives.”

A couple of volunteers have been with the ministry since it began in January 1993 and several have been with the ministry since September 1995. Last year the Storehouse had more than 333 volunteers, logging in more than 46,400 hours.

“How much the Lord has blessed us with such wonderful servants of the Lord,” she said. “We give God the glory and praisewithout him, the ministry would not exist and would not have grown throughout the years. God has greatly blessed Storehouse and all our thanks are due to Him. It is an honor for each of us to be serve Christ and our community through Storehouse.”

The Storehouse is audited annually by Canon and Company in Winston-Salem. Each year, it is reported that 97-98% of all incoming money is spent on client and patient services.

If interested in volunteering in the medical ministries, call Monday-Thursday at 336-753-8080. The Storehouse is at 675 E. Lexington Road, Mocksville.