Make A Lasting Impact When You "Shine The Light."
Do you want to make life brighter for people in our community? Would you like to make the holidays more meaningful this year? You can “Shine The Light” and give the gift of good health while honoring or remembering the special people in your life. Your gift will bring joy to the recipients on your gift list and will have a lasting impact on people who desperately need light in their lives.
The Good Samaritan Clinic has been serving the River Valley and beyond since 2003. While times have changed over the past two decades, our mission has remained the same. We strive to improve the health in our region by providing compassionate, quality healthcare to our neighbors in need. We greatly appreciate all of the physicians, nurses, volunteers, students, and employees that help make the Good Samaritan Clinic such a valuable asset to our community; but because of our expanding staff and patient base, we have simply outgrown our current building.
We have been located in downtown Fort Smith for the past 20 years and are excited to be moving to 1400 Zero Street in the fall of 2024. Mercy generously gifted us one of their medical facilities and we are thrilled with the opportunities that come along with this relocation. Our patients share in our excitement, and we are grateful that this new clinic will give us additional space and functionality so we can help even more people in need of our services.
Currently we have 4 exam rooms, and in our new facility we will have 10. While this is exciting, it will also be incredibly expensive. We need to raise a significant amount of money to purchase all of the FFE (furniture, fixtures and equipment) necessary to get the new building ready. When it is fully supplied and furnished, we will be able to better serve not only our existing patients but many new patients as well. We will also have more room for teaching and mentoring medical and nursing students. At the Good Samaritan Clinic, we not only help patients, but also assist in training the doctors and nurses of tomorrow. What could be better than that?
When you “Shine The Light” and support the Good Samaritan Clinic, you will change lives and sometimes even save lives. One of our patients named Steve felt ill for quite some time, and because his symptoms did not improve, he decided to seek help at the Good Samaritan Clinic. He knew he was sick, but had no idea that things were worse than he had imagined. Our medical team quickly realized that his situation was dire and rushed him to the emergency room where he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. Had he waited any longer to seek help, he most likely would not have survived. “The staff members at Good Sam are directly responsible for saving my life,” Steve said. “I could not be more thankful.”
The Good Samaritan Clinic is a special place for people such as Patricia, who grew up in neighboring Crawford County. As a young woman, Patricia found herself feeling weak, tired and unusually irritable. At her initial visit to the clinic, she discovered that she was severely anemic. Patricia said, “The doctor told me that if I would have waited even one more week to come in, that I could have been hospitalized. I was just that bad.” She got the treatment, medicine and iron that she needed, and her health dramatically improved. A few short years later, Patricia is preparing to graduate from nursing school. She recently finished a clinical rotation at the Good Samaritan Clinic and was thrilled to learn and train in the same place where she was once a patient. She said that she chose to go into nursing because she wants to be a positive influence and help people the same way that she was helped. We have no doubt that she will be an excellent nurse.
While the Good Samaritan Clinic is appreciated by patients, it also holds special meaning for people who provide services here. Maria is a Licensed Master Social Worker who counsels our patients in both English and Spanish. She loves to volunteer here because she wants to help fill the gap in the mental health crisis. She teaches clients about the importance of values and boundaries and believes that mental health should be cultivated daily. She said, “I want to teach people that when they’re in crisis, they can use tools to cope instead of turning to drugs, alcohol or overeating.” She loves sharing ways that people can add helpful “tools” to their “toolboxes” so that they can enhance their everyday lives.
If you are ready to help change lives, it’s simple. In order to “Shine The Light,” all that you need to do is send a donation to the Good Samaritan Clinic in the amount of your choice. Include a list of the names of people (and their addresses) that you wish to honor or remember this holiday season. We will send each person or family on your list an acknowledgment card notifying them of your generous gift. (The donation amount will not be listed on the card.) “Shine The Light” is a fantastic way to celebrate family, friends, co-workers, neighbors and more this holiday season. Simply send in a donation along with your list of recipients (and their addresses), and let us do the rest!
When you “Shine The Light,” you will be helping those in our community who are uninsured for a variety of reasons. Many are between jobs or have just moved to the area, others are recently divorced, some have rolled off of their parents’ insurance for the first time, and still others work for businesses that do not provide insurance. Whatever the case may be, the reality is the same: the future can seem dark, bleak and lonely for those who are uninsured. When you “Shine The Light” you are giving the gift of restored health, compassion, care, peace of mind, and most importantly, hope.
Actor and philanthropist Paul Newman said, “The need is great and so are the opportunities to make a difference.” We could not agree more. The need is indeed greater than ever, but so is the opportunity to take action. We have been honored to serve the uninsured and underinsured in our region for the past 20 years thanks to support from generous people such as you. You can “Shine The Light” knowing that 100% of your gift stays here locally to help our neighbors in need. Your donation will warm the hearts of everyone on your gift list, and will make life brighter for countless patients from all walks of life. Thank you for making a positive difference this holiday season by choosing to “Shine The Light!”
Good Samaritan Clinic Address: 615 N. B St. Fort Smith, AR 72901
479-783-0233
Email: Meredith@goodsamaritanclinic.net