The pop-up clinic is expected to return to Charleston this weekend
CHARLESTON, W. Va. – A free pop-up health clinic returns to Charleston this weekend after taking off for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
West Virginia Health Right, in partnership with Tennessee-based Remote Area Medical, will welcome hundreds of people to Bible Center School June 4-5.
Patients can receive free dental, vision or medical treatment, regardless of their insurance status. Testing for HIV, Hepatitis C and COVID-19 will be available on site.
“All your local doctors you know and love, nurses, medical staff, pharmacists coming together for two days to care for anyone in need no questions asked. We don’t ask about your income or if you have insurance,” said Angie Settle, CEO of West Virginia Health Right.
Settle spoke about the upcoming event on “580 Live” heard on MetroNews flagship station 580-WCHS in Charleston before a press conference Tuesday morning.
The Bible Center School parking lot will open at midnight Saturday and numbered tickets will be distributed around 3 a.m., but Settle said people can arrive any time that day.
Settle said she expects many people to come to the clinic because some have postponed their health care needs during the pandemic.
Senator Tom Takubo (R-Kanawha, 17) is one of the participating doctors who will be on hand.
“It’s not just an eye exam where you get a pair of glasses. They do a full eye exam to make sure you don’t have cancer or retinal issues,” said Takubo, also a guest on Tuesday’s ‘580 Live’ with host Dave Allen.
People attending the clinics should bring their current medications. Identity documents and insurance cards are not required.
The first pop-clinic was launched in 2016 following the devastating West Virginia flood that killed 23 people and destroyed hundreds of homes. Settle said he received many calls from people in need of health care. The event has since grown.
“We have 400 to 600 volunteers, so everyone is there because they care about the community,” Settle said. “I always like to say it’s West Virginia helping West Virginia.”