Lions Club, Good Samaritan Health Clinic see eye to eye in providing humanitarian services to Cullman County

May 19—A quote attributed to Tuscumbia-native Helen Keller would have made a fitting epitaph on the mantle of Good Samaritan Health Clinic the morning of Wednesday, May 17.

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much," said Keller, whose lifelong advocacy sprang from losing her sight and hearing after an illness at 19 months old in the early 1880s.

Standing in Good Samaritan's courtyard, next to an Alabama Lions Sight Mobile Eye Care Unit, clinic executive director Jolanda Hutson echoed those words, bringing them home to Cullman.

"Good Samaritan Clinic has a long-standing partnership with the Lions Club, and this is just one more way that we are partnering to better serve our community," Hutson said. "We are thankful the Lions Club encouraged the Alabama Lions Sight Mobile Eye Care Unit to choose Good Samaritan Health Clinic as its location for today."

Thanks to a grant earlier in the year, the Alabama Lions service club organization now has two mobile sight eye care units operating in the state. Formerly serving 23 counties in the Black Belt, the additional unit will allow service to more than 40 counties, including the one with a full schedule of appointments that serviced Cullman patients Wednesday.

And future visits, said Steve Cartee, chairman of the Cullman Lions of Alabama Sight Foundation, will bring additional services.

"Hearing screenings will soon be added," Cartee said, as the mobile clinics will host not only an optometrist and technician, but an audiologist to take care of medical hearing needs — a second tenet of Lions Club International humanitarian service.

Those principles are important to Cullman residents such as Kevin Johns.

"Before today, I couldn't afford to go to an eye doctor. Now, thanks to Good Samaritan, I can," he said.

Johns isn't alone. Others with low incomes and limited or no medical insurance also struggle with procedures such as eye exams, eye glass fittings or more severe optical and aural problems, Cartee and other Lions volunteers said.

"If someone needed to go to the eye doctor, at the level of service we offer, it would cost between $200 and $650," said Cullman Lions volunteer Bill Ruahl. "That's a lot of money for people who live paycheck-to-paycheck. And here, you won't get better care anywhere."

With funding through grants, reduced patient fees, insurance and corporate and individual contributions, Lions International and local clubs work to achieve its humanitarian goals globally through volunteers and others serving in more than 200 countries.

That level of service is not lost on people such as Robert Esco, a Cullman resident patiently waiting his turn in the mobile eye care unit Wednesday.

"It's a big blessing from God," Esco said. "It's been 20 years since I've had my eyes checked."

Make an appointment for an eye screening

"We had a full schedule of appointments today," said Good Samaritan Health Clinic executive director Hutson May 17. "But you don't have to be a patient of Good Samaritan to take part in the upcoming eye exams — although three of the 13 appointments today are Good Samaritan patients — and if anyone wants to get on the schedule for July, they should call 256-255-5963. The mobile unit will be at the Cullman clinic location, 401 Arnold St. NE A, July 26, and also Sept. 20 and Nov. 15.

Fee schedule for Alabama Lions Sight Mobile Eye Care Unit

The organization charges reduced fees for eye services. Lions Club donations pay for some of the services. Other fees are $20 exam; $60 exam and a pair of single vision or bifocal spectacles; $80 exam and a pair of progressive addition spectacles. Lions Club donations assist with the fees if patients are unable to pay.

How to donate

It is only through the kindness of our eyeglasses and hearing aids donors that the service organization can offer the gift of sight or sound to those in need.

There are a few ways in which you can donate eyeglasses.

—Walmart Vision Centers: Lions Clubs International has a partnership with the Walmart Corporation. You can deposit your eyeglasses at any participating Walmart Vision Center.

—Local Lions clubs: Some local Lions clubs collect eyeglasses. To contact a Lions club in your community to find out if they collect eyeglasses, please use the Club Locator to find a local club near your community. Once you've located a club, click the envelop icon to send a message to the club.

—Lions Eyeglasses Recycling Centers: If you are unable to find a local Walmart or Lions club that accepts eyeglasses donations, you can mail your eyeglasses or unopened contact lenses to the nearest LERC. Visit www.lionsclubs.org/ for information.

Those interested in donating used hearing aids of any age, brand or model can do so by visiting the Hearing Charities of America donations page. There, you can reach out with questions or complete the online donation form to start the donation process.

How to receive assistance

The best way for an individual to receive eyeglasses or hearing aids assistance from Lions International is to get in contact with a local Lions club or a district in your area. Local Lions clubs are comprised of a group of volunteers who implement projects and programs in their communities, and at times provide direct assistance to individuals. Use the Club Locator www.lionsclubs.org/ to find a local club near your community. Once you've located a club, click the envelop icon to send a message to the club.

Information from www.lionsclubs.org/