Pembroke tornado destroyed only public health clinic. Operator still looking for new home.
The effects from the 2022 tornado that ripped through Bryan County have hit some residents in hidden ways. Recovery efforts are ongoing: buildings are being reconstructed and there are a few piles of brush here and there.
But the twister also destroyed the town’s only affordable medical facility, Curtis V. Cooper, leaving behind many patients who relied on the clinic for health care. The Pembroke outpost of the Savannah-based primary care clinic was pivotal for individuals who can not afford health insurance but earn too high an income to qualify for Medicaid.
Not a day goes by that Dr. Laura McKay does not reminisce about clients she used to treat in Pembroke. McKay has since but the patients she treated made a lasting impression.
“A lot of the people in that part of the county are very poor and a lot of them, particularly around COVID, lost their jobs,” said McKay. “I ended up leaving Curtis V. Cooper in September, mostly because it was just too difficult for me to stay there and not be able to go back to Pembroke because that's where my heart was.”
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The Pembroke Curtis V. Cooper location was housed in a building owned by the City of Pembroke. According to newly hired City Administrator Chris Benson, there is not enough funding to build a replacement facility.
“We do have insurance proceeds available to go towards the construction of a new building but the funds would not cover the entire cost,” said Benson.
According to the Center for Disease Control, 15% percent of the U.S. population lives in rural areas. Benson said he can only imagine what residents are going through now that one of their most vital resources is gone.
“When we lost Curtis V. Cooper in the community, we didn't have an alternative,” said Benson. “The idea was to get something in here in some form or fashion to have those services in the community.”
Georgia Sen. Ben Watson (R-Savannah) said lower-income Georgians, including those in and around Pembroke, will soon have access to a Medicaid waiver program approved by the Georgia General Assembly. Starting July 1, individuals who earn less than 100% of the federal poverty level can apply for the Georgia’s Pathways to Coverage, which grants Medicaid eligibility to Georgians who work, attend school or perform community service at least 80 hours a month.
“If they're able to work or volunteer for 20 hours a week or go to college or vocational technical school, they will be enrolled into that Medicaid program at that time,” said Watson.
Curtis V. Cooper CEO Albert Grandy said modular units will be in place in July to help treat residents and plans call for the clinic's reopening once the health care provider and the City of Pembroke identify a suitable location. Until then, residents must grapple with a major loss that puts them in jeopardy of minor illnesses worsening.
“We will provide services from the module unit until the city decides which building they're going to renovate to put a new health center in Pembroke,” Grandy said.
Latrice Williams is a general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham County. She can be reached at lwilliams6@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Pembroke Bryan Co residents no access to affordable health care clinic
