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Mercy Heart clinic opens with volunteer dedication
Mercy-Heart-first-night
Kylie Rowlands, R.N., left, checks the blood pressure Tuesday of Linda Hawthorne, one of Mercy Heart's first patients. - photo by Submitted Photo
The Mercy Heart free medical clinic opened its doors to patients on Tuesday, bringing to fruition years of planning, struggle and work by a group of dedicated volunteers.

At a dedication ceremony on Thursday, Mercy Heart Board president Greg Smith was moved as he thanked the volunteers.

"They're the real heroes of Mercy Heart," he said. "The individual volunteers are the heroes... There are so many of you who mean so much to me. If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't be here."

He also thanked the contributions of groups including First Baptist Church of Conyers, which donated the building and facility, former First Baptist Associate Pastor Howard Greer, who created and championed the project for years, Snapping Shoals EMC, United Way, Kaiser Permanente, Rockdale Medical Center, the Beech Foundation, and the Rockdale Rotary Club. Smith pointed out that because of the donations of time, money and resources, the clinic was able to open with no debt and a little money left in the bank.

"It's truly been a miracle to see how all this community support and all the hours and hours of people behind the scenes pull this together. If God is for us, who can stand against us?"

The clinic saw six patients on its first night on Tuesday.

For more check back to www.rockdalenews.com or see the Feb. 20 edition of The Rockdale News.