COVINGTON, Ga. - The Willing Helpers Medical Clinic will relocate this weekend to the Faulkner Building at Piedmont Newton and will begin treating patients at their new location Tuesday, Oct. 1.

Willing Helpers, founded in 2006 by Solid Rock Baptist Church and local doctors and nurses, is an appointment-only charitable medical clinic, treating Newton County residents who have a chronic illness, are 18 years of age or older, have no health insurance and have a low household income within 200% of the federal poverty level. 

Willing Helpers is open three days a week - Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Piedmont Newton Chief Medical Officer Dr. Norris Little, who has volunteered at Willing Helpers since 2006, stated the relocation would allow the clinic to expand on services offered to patients in the future.

“As nonprofit healthcare providers, Piedmont Newton Hospital and Willing Helpers Medical Clinic share similar purposes in providing access to excellent healthcare regardless of the patient’s ability to pay,” he said. “Additionally, the hospital and the clinic jointly cooperate to provide care for patients after discharge from the hospital.  Willing Helpers has been the recipient of grant funds through Piedmont Healthcare’s community benefit program, which have been used for health education classes on diabetes management and smoking cessation and provide resources for additional Nurse Practitioner time for patient care."

Recently the clinic decided to look for larger office space to accommodate their growing patient population. Piedmont Newton is making the Faulkner Building available to the clinic, which will lower costs and improve efficiency. These contributions will allow more of the clinic’s funds to go toward expanding the services offered to patients.

"It gives me comfort to know that when we are working with a patient in the hospital who may not have the financial means for continued follow-up care, I can refer them to Willing Helpers and know that they are going to receive compassionate, quality healthcare from outstanding clinicians.” 

Willing Helpers Director Belinda Herndon emphasized that Piedmont Newton did not purchase Willing Helpers; however, the clinic does receive patients from the hospital.

"[Piedmont Newton] loves us," she said. "We're the only people that they can refer patients to, and we'll accept them and not charge them any money."