Widower finds help at New Orleans clinic
"I need new glasses because mine don't work," said Clarence, 80, a patient at OBI's clinic. "I could do more if I could see better."
OBI set up more than 20,000 square feet of tent space to serve as additional vision, dental and medical exam rooms outside their existing medical and dental clinics.
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POSTED: February 15, 2007
By Staci Dennis
NEW ORLEANS - Clarence made his way though a maze of tents, concentrating on staying warm and keeping his place in line. He was one of hundreds who had arrived before dawn to fight off freezing temperatures in the hopes of seeing a doctor.
"I need new glasses because mine don't work," Clarence said. "I could do more if I could see better."
Clarence, 80, who is twice widowed and raised 10 children, lost his home when Hurricane Katrina hit. He went to Texas to live with his son, but after a week returned to New Orleans.
"This is my home," he said, "I had to come back."
But like thousands of returning hurricane refugees, Clarence came home to a place where health care was limited and the majority of residents now uninsured.
On this day, however, he along with nearly 600 other patients would receive free medical care thanks to Operation Blessing's "Medical Recovery Week," a week-long event offering free health care for residents devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
The event, held Jan. 28 through Feb. 3, was a collaboration between Operation Blessing and Remote Area Medical (RAM), International Medical Alliance (IMA), the New Orleans Health Department and the LA Department of Health and Hospitals.
More than 400 doctors, dentists and nurses volunteered for the event, providing more than 10,000 medical services by the week's end.
Services included dental work such as fillings, root canals, cleanings and extractions; eye exams and glasses; medical exams and primary healthcare; OBGYN, diabetic care, pediatrics and cardiology.
To accommodate the influx of patients, OBI set up 20,000 square feet of tent space to serve as additional exam rooms outside their existing medical and dental clinics – which have been providing free medical care to more than 15,000 Katrina victims since April 3, 2006.
"This is a magnified version of what we've been doing here all along," said OBI President Bill Horan. "We are here to help."
For Clarence, help was as simple as receiving a new pair of prescription glasses. After a few hours of waiting, he made his way into the vision tent where he received an eye exam and a prescription for new glasses.
After sifting through a mountain of frames in a neighboring tent, he finally found the perfect pair.
"It's worth the wait. . . . I am so happy now," he said. "I can see."
How You Can Help Be a part of OBI's ongoing disaster relief efforts by making an online donation to help those affected by the Gulf Coast hurricanes.
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