News You Can Use
March 2020 | Volume 12, Issue 4
Volunteer Update
Dear Volunteers,

We are grateful for your generosity in devoting precious time to our patients at the Clinic.  We look forward to the day when we can resume our normal activities. In the meantime, we are scheduling the minimum number of volunteers needed to ensure the safety of our vo lunteers, staff and patients.  Outlined below are recent steps we have taken to ensure safe and expeditious work with our patients. We want to keep our volunteers up to date on the continued good work the Clinic is doing to help our Brunswick County community!


Call to Action: Although we are using fewer volunteers at NHC currently, there is a call to action at the county and state level for Clinical, Clinical Support, and Non-clinical Support to register their availability if the need arises for volunteers. Please read the appeal from NC by clicking here , and/or submit by email to the Brunswick County coordinator (Leslie Stanley, leslie.stanley@brunswickcountync.gov ) your name, how you could help including current or previous license details & contact info. ( Here is the link to the County appeal ). Being on the local list will save a step if local facilities need the support.

New procedures we have put in place for NHC patients:

Current Hours:  
Boiling Spring Lakes Location: Mon-Wed 8am-5pm, Thurs 8am-7pm, Fri 8am-4pm. Everyone arriving at the clinic will be welcomed outside the front door to be asked a few questions and have their temperature checked before entering.

Shallotte Location: We have temporarily shut down operations at our Shallotte location. We will let you know when we are able to reopen our Shallotte clinic.

Virtual Visits:  We will ask patients questions when they call in to determine if a virtual visit is necessary or a possibility. Most visits will be changed to virtual visits for the safety of our patients and our volunteers and to conserve supplies. These will be a secure video-consults with the patient’s provider over the patient’s smartphone or laptop. We can help the patients with instructions on how to do the video-consult.

Respiratory Symptoms : If a patient arrives with respiratory symptoms, the visit will be conducted via Telemedicine or at the patient’s car at the rear of the clinic. 

Dental Services:  At this time, we cannot offer dental services because of a higher risk of fluid transmission.  If patients need other options for dental care before we can resume services, we will try to help them find a location that is open for emergency needs.

Pharmacy : Patients can still pick up their medications at the Boiling Spring Lakes clinic. A table is set up outside the front door of the clinic, where medications will be distributed to patients. We are asking for patients to call for refill requests at least two days ahead to allow time for review and we will attempt to sync as many medications to a 90-day pick-up schedule as possible. We cannot control timing of delivery for PAP medicines. Due to the small workspace, pharmacy techs will not be asked to volunteer for the time being. 


At this time, the New Hope Clinic will temporarily halt the following services until further notice: One-on-one diabetes education, Weight counseling, Pulmonary function testing.


Other questions and enrollments will be handled over the phone and online, with patients mailing/faxing/emailing documents.


We are also cancelling Volunteer Orientations, until further notice. 


We are putting additional controls in place and we will continually update them per CDC/NC DHHS/Brunswick County guidelines. The county has established a website ( https://www.brunswickcountync.gov/health/coronavirus ) with useful links. Please visit this website for reliable local and national information.


FYI - Testing is available in Brunswick County; if you suspect you have coronaviurs symptoms, contact your primary medical provider first to determine if your symptoms warrant a test and if they provide tests. Here's a link to a useful guide on the current guidance for monitoring symptoms versus getting testing.



Cancellation of events
We have cancelled the following events in April. We will let you know when these have been rescheduled.
Mikes Garage Band – Saturday, April 4
Volunteer Brunch – Saturday, April 25



Donations:
By conducting more visits virtually, we need to have some of our patients monitoring their own vitals at home, so donations of digital blood pressure cuffs and home thermometers, as well as our regular need for nebulizers and cases of bottles water, are greatly appreciated. Some of these, and other helpful items are found on our Amazon charity wish list .

Unopened original packages of Personal Protective Equipment (masks, eye shields/goggles, long jackets/gowns, gloves) and disinfecting wipes are also being collected for use here or for distribution to area healthcare providers. Some people have asked about sewing masks, so we found a pattern a hospital system in another state is sharing online here . These sewn masks are not intended to replace N95 respirators, but the idea is that cloth masks could help those respirators last longer.


Stay safe & thank you!

Sheila Roberts,
Executive Director
For general and local Coronavirus information:

We recommend visiting the CDC website, as well as our county website for accurate and up to date information.


Link to Brunswick County website:  https://www.brunswickcountync.gov/health/coronavirus/

The County has established a dedicated call line and email where residents can ask questions about the coronavirus.
Phone # 910-253-2339
Email: Coronavirus@brunswickcountync.gov

The 24/7 NC Public Health call line is 1-866-462-3821.
Do you know someone who is going without medical or dental care, or only going to the emergency room, because they have no health insurance and can't afford appointments? 

Please tell them about New Hope Clinic! Information about our programs, how to sign up, and the patient application are available on our website , or have them call (910) 845-5333 to speak to one of our eligibility specialists about their situation. If we're not the right answer for them, we will do our best to refer them to another area program that may be able to help. 

We can all do our part to improve the health of our community!
Our Mission
To provide quality medical, dental and pharmacy services to low income, uninsured Brunswick County adults in a caring, patient-centered setting.
NEW HOPE CLINIC | www.newhopeclinicfree.org
Main Clinic & Mailing:
201 W. Boiling Spring Rd, Southport, NC 28461

Satellite Clinic:
4600-10 Main St, Shallotte, NC 28470

Phone: (910) 845-5333
Fax: (910) 845-5366
Email: info@newhopeclinicfree.org
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Contributions are tax-deductible as allowed by law. New Hope Clinic, Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. EIN: 31-1614379. Financial information about this organization and a copy of its license are available from the NC Charitable Solicitation Licensing section at 1-888-830-4989. The license is not an endorsement by the State.