Church offers free medical clinic

By Melissa Maynarich, NEWS 9

DEL CITY, Okla. -- Hundreds of Oklahomans are seeing a doctor, and it's not costing them a dime.

People are lining up at Bryant Avenue Baptist Church in Del City, not to listen to the pastor, but to talk with the doctor.

The clinic is the newest in a group of a dozen churches across Oklahoma offering free medical help.

"There are some communities where we have these clinics and they've been doing enough significant work that the hospital emergency room load has significantly decreased," Pastor Bill Sisson said. "We know there's more to health care than shots and pills. We start building relationships with people the moment they come in the door. It's different from what a regular doctor's office is like."

David Cahill visited the clinic because he has a broken hand from a bicycle accident, and he doesn't have health insurance.

"Here you walk into a church; I was thinking about seeing pews and the front of the church and they were going to be doing it there, and they got it set up like a regular clinic," he said. "These guys really helped me out by taping my hand."

The clinic features thousands of dollars of donated medical equipment and a fully stocked pharmacy. The clinic is staffed by 40 volunteers including nurses, administrators, and the doctor.

The clinic is open weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. For more information call (405) 672-4511.