Bethel Free Health Clinic, Inc.

The Bethel Free Health Clinic, Inc. is a registered charity in the State of Mississippi. We are a 501(c) 3 nonprofit, founded within days of Hurricane Katrina to meet the medical needs of Coast residents.

Today the clinic continues to provide quality health care services, at no charge, to people without access to basic care.

Our new clinic is complete! We are leasing space from the Biloxi Housing Authority and located in the SunCoast Villa complex at 1650 Carrol Drive, just off Rodenberg Avenue in Biloxi (north of the railroad tracks and south of Pass Road).

The Bethel Free Health Clinic, Inc. is a member of the National Association of Free Clinics and the Mississippi Center for Nonprofits.

Clinic Hours:

Mondays through Fridays: 8:30 AM—Noon and 12:30 PM-5:00 PM
Saturday and evening hours announced per special event/project.

The clinic is open on the days/hours provided above; call for provider schedule as clinic hours are based upon the number of providers who join our team each week.

We ask for your prayers for those who volunteer at the Bethel Free Health Clinic, Inc. We also ask that you pray for Him to lead other volunteer providers to us. We especially need physicians, nurses, social workers, psychologists, and dentists.

Services:

We are a FREE walk-in clinic that provides health care for uninsured and underinsured Gulf Coast residents. We treat an average range of 30 patients a day. Patients are mainly adults, children are also seen.

We provide medicines that we have in-house.

We have developed relationships with other service providers to whom we refer patients for needed specialty health care.

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HISTORY:

The Bethel Free Health Clinic, Inc. began in response to the dire need for health care immediately following Hurricane Katrina. One of the first volunteers to arrive at Bethel Lutheran Church was Cassie Brown from Northern Virginia. She was the first nurse to respond to the needs of the Katrina survivors at Bethel Lutheran Church.

The clinic provided care for those injured during the storm and those injured while trying to salvage their homes and belongings. Then the clinic treated those who suffered from the living conditions left by the storm – living out in the elements, living with black mold, etc. Then the clinic began treating the chronic illnesses. This because many reported not being able to locate their physicians and others reported not being able to get an appointment. With the loss of jobs and subsequent health insurance as well as the strained finances to replace items lost during the storm, many are in need of help with treatment and/or costly medications.

When Bethel opened their doors to the community following Hurricane Katrina, we didn’t anticipate the on-going needs of the uninsured and underinsured.

The need for free medical services continues as many Coast residents still suffer gross socioeconomic hardships caused by financial downturn of our national economy.

For two and one-half years Bethel Lutheran Church provided a home for the Bethel Free Health Clinic. This wonderful church allowed their library, nursery, narthex and hallways to be used as a doctor’s office, waiting room, exam room and a dispensary.

Our clinic was staffed with volunteer physicians and nurses who obtained temporary licenses through the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure and the Mississippi Board of Nursing. Because of the number of professionals willing to give of their time, talents, and skills, our clinic was open five days a week, 8-9 hours per day.

When Governor Haley Barbour did not renew the state of emergency on January 11, 2008, Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure stopped issuing temporary licenses for physicians. Several local physicians responded to the call to volunteer in our clinic.

Our patients are Coastal residents who are uninsured or underinsured without financial resources to pay for medical care, medications, and/or medical supplies with post-disaster financial burdens. These low income and working poor continue to struggle to bring their lives and healthcare to pre-Katrina status. Because these needs are so strong, the Bethel Free Health Clinic, Inc. continues to offer free health care services to the Mississippi Gulf Coast community.

Through 2009, with the help of “at least” 267 providers , 568 nurses, 177 student nurses and 405 volunteers with other skills, our clinic has provided treatment for “at least” 26,500 clinic visits. “At least” is used because before we had a Clinic Director, clinic records were not routinely kept.

In July 2008, the clinic moved from the Bethel Lutheran Church location, so the congregation could resume use of their space for worship and fellowship.

The Biloxi Housing Authority offered the long term lease of space at its 1650 Carrol Drive location. We submitted a grant request and received funding from the Gulf Coast Community Foundation to renovate and add on to this space so that we can optimally serve our community. Fuller Center ReBuilders (formerly Project REHAB), from the Bethel Volunteer Ministry provided volunteer construction manpower.