For many Ozarks families, Fordland Clinic is ‘a lifesaver’

Fordland Clinic serves kids and elderly in need of medical and dental care.
On of the PCCC’s charities, Fordland Clinic serves kids and elderly in need of medical and dental care.

A pastor in a rural farming community of Webster County puts it this way about the Fordland Clinic: “Five generations of my family have been treated at the clinic. It has a special place in my heart. It’s been a life-saver.”

Those words come from Nick Inman, pastor of the Elkland Independent Methodist Church. Thanks to the clinic, his rare liver infection was detected. And thanks to the clinic, many other county families – many that he knows personally – have had their dental coverage paid for.

“In the rural communities, we’ve always had a history of having a close relationship with our doctor. You would know the doctor in social settings, in restaurants and neat events,” Inman said. “The Fordland Clinic has been like a family to my family.”

All of which are reasons why the Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper is proud to call the Fordland Clinic a partner again this year. The golf tournament, part of the PGA’s Web.com Tour, has generated almost $12 million for Ozarks-area children’s charities in its 25-year history – including a record $1 million-plus last year.

And here is your chance to help Fordland Clinic.

SUPPORTING THE PCCC = SUPPORTING CHARITIES

Buy a $25 TLC Properties Charity Sweepstakes ticket and all the money goes to your favorite charity -- and you also could win this 2015 Ford Mustang.
Buy a $25 TLC Properties Charity Sweepstakes ticket and all the money goes to your favorite charity — and you also could win this 2015 Ford Mustang.
  • HELP FORDLAND CLINIC: The clinic is a non-profit community health center and can be reached at 417-767-2273 for medical or 417-767-2100 for dental.
  • FOR GOLF FANS, WIN PRIZES: The purchase of a $25 TLC Properties Charity Sweepstakes ticket serves as a four-day tournament pass, but that’s just a start. You’re also entered to win daily prizes during the tournament as well as grand prizes of $10,000 and a 2015 Ford Mustang.
  • TICKET REVENUE GOES WHERE: Contact the local charity of your choice, simply because they receive revenue directly from those TLC Property Charity Sweepstakes tickets marked with their names.
  • BUSINESS SPONSORSHIPS: Businesses can support the PCCC through various sponsorships, such as the daily newsletter, website or through several events such as a dozen Pro-Ams. Additionally, restaurants, clothing stores and entertainment stops and such are asked to donate a gift card with at least a $25 value in the name of your charity of choice to benefit them in the Golf Ball Charity Auction.
  • WHEN, WHERE: The tournament is Aug. 7-17 at Highland Springs Country Club, with the pros playing beginning Aug. 13. Contact the PCCC staff at 417-887-3400.

About Fordland Clinic

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The Fordland Clinic is a non-profit community health center that meets federal requirements but does not accept federal funding. It sees everyone, regardless of income, six days a week.

However, it is not free. The clinic accepts Medicare and Medicaid, most insurance, and offers a sliding fee for the uninsured based on what patients earn. The PCCC dollars come in this way: Whatever the patient cannot cover, the dollars help to offset the cost. Or, if equipment is in need of repair, the dollars certainly help to pay for the fix.

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“We are here to help children who have never been to the dentist before,” said Whitney Keith, communications director for Fordland Clinic. “We want to be involved in the community. We want to give people good health care.”

Inman and his wife, Sarah, are proponents of the Fordland Clinic. In fact, he previously served on its board after going through his treatments – partly because Fordland Clinic offers tele-health, meaning that a patient can drive there and meet with a St. Louis doctor on a tele-conference

“I couldn’t ask for a better team to care of me,” Inman said. “I didn’t feel like a patient.”

He went on.

“The clinic serves our community in more than one way, not only for medical but for dental,” Inman said. “If you look at the Ozarks, one of the many needs is dental. I think that’s a great benefit for the Amish community and many other facets of the county.”

The PCCC – through its sponsors, volunteers, staff and the PGA Tour – is glad to help make a difference.

“A lot of good things come from it,” Keith said. “We greatly appreciate our partnership with the tournament.”

 

 

In Ozarks’ care for mental illness, NAMI & Appleby are allies

Stephanie Appleby is an advocate for the mentally ill through the National Alliance of Mental Illness Southwest Missouri.
Stephanie Appleby is an advocate for the mentally ill at the National Alliance of Mental Illness Southwest Missouri.

Talk about turning a difficult situation into a positive. Stephanie Appleby is proof that anyone can be affected by mental illness – and overcome it.

For 14 years, Appleby suffered from panic attacks and agoraphobia, an anxiety disorder in which the sufferer perceives the environment as dangerous or uncomfortable, often due to the environment’s vast openness or crowdedness. One day, she was fine, the next she was paralyzed by fear.

Fortunately, Appleby has battled through to live a normal life and now serves as the events and marketing coordinator for the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) of Southwest Missouri. In essence, she’s an advocate of an organization that helps others come forward and seek help.

In other words, NAMI is an important part of the Ozarks, and it’s why the Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper is proud to have the non-profit on board again this year. The golf tournament is one of the PGA’s Web.com Tour stops and has raised almost $12 million in its 25-year history, including a record $1 million-plus last year.

“What I have learned through this process is sometimes it’s better not to look at the whole staircase, just the first step,” Appelby said.

Here’s how to assist:

SUPPORTING THE PCCC = SUPPORTING CHARITIES

Buy a $25 TLC Properties Charity Sweepstakes ticket and all the money goes to your favorite charity -- and you also could win this 2015 Ford Mustang.
Buy a $25 TLC Properties Charity Sweepstakes ticket and all the money goes to your favorite charity — and you also could win this 2015 Ford Mustang.
  • HELP THE NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF MENTAL ILLNESS SOUTHWEST MISSOURI: To contribute either through the tournament or in any other way, email Stephanie Appleby at Stephanie@namiswmo.com. The help line is 1-877-535-4357.
  • FOR GOLF FANS, WIN PRIZES: The purchase of a $25 TLC Properties Charity Sweepstakes ticket serves as a four-day tournament pass, but that’s just a start. You’re also entered to win daily prizes during the tournament as well as grand prizes of $10,000 and a 2015 Ford Mustang.
  • TICKET REVENUE GOES WHERE: Contact the local charity of your choice, simply because they receive revenue directly from those TLC Property Charity Sweepstakes tickets marked with their names.
  • BUSINESS SPONSORSHIPS: Businesses can support the PCCC through various sponsorships, such as the daily newsletter, website or through several events such as a dozen Pro-Ams. Additionally, restaurants, clothing stores and entertainment stops and such are asked to donate a gift card with at least a $25 value in the name of your charity of choice to benefit them in the Golf Ball Charity Auction.
  • WHEN, WHERE: The tournament is Aug. 7-17 at Highland Springs Country Club, with the pros beginning play Aug. 13. Contact the PCCC staff at 417-887-3400.

About NAMI

NAMI_Southwest_Missouri_color_vertical_

For three decades, the NAMI Southwest Missouri chapter has been dedicated to providing programs, services and advocacy for individuals and family members impacted by mental illness.

The organization collaborates with, educates and advises individuals, schools, businesses, law enforcement agencies, the media and community organizations on steps to achieve and maintain good mental health, suicide prevention and eradicating the stigma associated with the diagnosis of a mental illness.

Appleby seems the perfect fit to be one of the organization’s advocates.

NAMI-check2

In her battle with agoraphobia, she spent years researching symptoms and trying to find ways to overcome her fear. Yet her efforts were complicated by the lack of adequate resources available on her condition as well as the disdain of many friends and family who could not comprehend what she was experiencing. Her husband was her only rock to cling to.

Fortunately, she made the decision to break through her fear. Appleby turned to her church and soon sought medical assistance, too, leading to a prescription called Lexapro. It enabled her to attend therapy, and she soon gained knowledge of her condition.

As one publication described her, “Her undeniable spirit would not let the illness win, and while she is still scared from her battles, she is a firm believer that God often uses our deepest pain as the launching pad for our greatest calling.”

NAMI-ballpark

These days, Appleby can point others suffering from mental illness to NAMI Southwest Missouri’s Hope Center, a freestanding facility open six days a week.

It’s a place where individuals may attend peer-led groups addressing their diagnoses, engage in creative and vocational programs designed to bring a refreshed focus into their lives; check out books and take-home materials from the extensive mental health library; use the computer bank; seek encouragement, referrals and benefit from a supportive, non-judgmental environment.

Additionally, NAMI Southwest Missouri’s “Warm Line” operates 365 days, offering callers a trained listener who guides them through the challenges they are experiencing. Statistics show the organization employees and volunteers make an average of 14,000 contacts per year in support of good mental health, provided at no cost.

Overall, NAMI Southwest Missouri is a grassroots, 501 c (3) not-for-profit organization directed by a 15-member board comprised of healthcare professionals, business men and women, community leaders, and those who have benefitted from its programs and services. It also is a United Way of the Ozarks partner.