HealthServe Community Health Care Clinic will close one of its two Greensboro locations this month.

The clinics, part of the Triad Adult and Pediatric Medicine program, concentrate on serving the poor and uninsured. That program, begun as a partnership between Guilford County and the Moses Cone and High Point Regional hospital systems, has been facing funding problems for several years.

The county discussed lowering its annual contribution to that program in 2010 and struck a deal to contribute to the program while it sought federal funding.

County Commissioner Chairman Skip Alston’s comments raise a troubling issue:

“Guilford County commissioners Chairman Melvin ‘Skip’ Alston said he was disappointed to hear that Triad Adult and Pediatric Medicine was considering closing any of the HealthServe clinics.

He said he is worried the move was prompted by the group’s desire to take on more insured patients, serve fewer poor people, and make more money.

‘We told them what we’ve been telling them, that we want to contribute to their program if it’s going to be helping the poor and the uninsured,’ Alston said. “But if they’re going to be closing down clinics and changing their focus to treating more insured people to make more money, that’s about greed and money.

‘I don’t think that’s what’s on the minds of the people at Moses Cone or High Point Regional, but I think money has been the focus of some of the leaders of Triad Adult and Pediatric Medicine.’”

County Commissioner Billy Yow echoes his concern, and adds a good idea:

“‘If we want them serving poor people and the uninsured, we should say that $1.5 million is something they’ll get based on helping X amount of uninsured people,’ Yow said. ‘We haven’t done that.’”

>> Read the entire article: Clinic used by needy will close

We start every morning here at the IRC with a meeting in the day room to go over the schedule for the day, answer questions, share information, and often to discuss the inspirational quotes that Jenny puts up on the whiteboard.  The meeting facilitation rotates among the staff; Friday is my morning.  I took the opportunity last Friday to tell the 60 or so people assembled in the day room about a wonderful $15,000 challenge grant we’ve been given to mark our third anniversary.

And then an amazing thing happened–a man put his hand up and said “How can I give a dollar?”, and he followed the question by walking across the room and handing me a dollar.  A woman reached down, unzipped her purse and gave me a dollar.  A man dug into his pocket and pulled out a single wadded up dollar and gave it to me.  In the space of just a couple of minutes I had seven worn, crumpled dollar bills in my hand.  Someone started clapping; someone else joined in and the whole room erupted in spontaneous applause.  I don’t think I was the only one close to tears.

Matched by the challenge grant, those seven dollars are the equivalent of a sponsorship of an individual at the IRC for a full day and a half.  If ever we needed evidence that what we do at the IRC is needed and appreciated it is that handful of dollars.

The challenge grant runs through March 31; any gift given since January 1 counts toward the total.  You can make a gift online, or by mailing a donation to:

Interactive Resource Center
P.O. Box 20568
Greensboro, NC 27420

Thanks to the benefactors in the day room we’ve only got $14,993 more to go!

Liz Seymour
Executive Director

Josh Jones (image credit: Joshua Jones, Jr.)

Josh Jones has lived through poverty, dysfunction, disability and homelessness. He’s one of the most resilient, determined, positive,  helpful and loving people that I know. We met when I was a case manager in a church-based assistance ministry and he was my client. But he very quickly became my friend and my encourager.

Josh wrote a book, Joshua Jones Jr. Story, dedicated to his mom, whom he takes care of. Proceeds from the book will help both Josh and his mom. I just ordered my copy. I hope you will, too. Here’s an excerpt that has me eager to read more:

Hi! My name is Joshua Jones, Jr. This is Joshua Junior’s story.

I’d like to tell you a little bit about myself.  I was born May 15, 1967, to Christine Harrelson and Joshua Jones, Sr. of Mebane, North Carolina.

We have a very dysfunctional family.  We have five children, two girls and three boys.  I’m the knee baby. All five children’s names is Tony L.  Jones, Angela Patricia Jones, Demetrious Flythe, Marvin Ray Jones.

We lived on Highway 49 in Mebane, North Carolina, where we were a farmer’s children. We didn’t have much.  We were poor, and we had to work like human slaves at my daddy’s farm, Amy Crawford’s farm.

My mama was a housewife.  She made sure that we had something to eat.  She was the world’s bestest cook that you could ever meet. She always helped people; she always fed every body.  She got up every morning at 5:30 seven days a week.  We had fatback meat, molasses gravy, grits, oatmeal–whatever was in the refrigerator, Christine Harrelson cooked it. By the way, she divorced Joshua Jones, Sr. in 1989 and went back to her maiden name.

Well, she left him several times, so we had to go live with Lavinia Harrelson and Coy Harrelson which are both deceased now.  They stayed at 3916 Lawson Road, Cedar Grove, North Carolina.  Well we did that for a long time.  The last time she left him, I think it was in ’78, we left that morning.  She said, ‘Y’all get some bags. Go in there and get some Byrd’s bags, we got to go, I’m leaving your daddy.’ We said, ‘Oh, Lord.’  Every time we left our daddy, we’d get to the road and get down the road, Reverend Hal Brooks would pull up: ‘Y’all need a ride?’  She always left on a Sunday.  I never understood that.

I look forward to reading more of the story of my friend Josh. Even in the dark, he always sees the light. I love you, Josh. I’m grateful to be your friend.