St. Clair Association helps county’s first charity health clinic get started

By Grace Thornton
The Alabama Baptist

Chris Crain says he got to see associational life from the perspective of a pastor for 23 years. And he loved it.

But now that he is serving as associational mission strategist for St. Clair Baptist Association, he’s enjoying seeing Baptist work from a 30,000-foot view too. He’s seen the associational disaster relief team do amazing work. He’s seen churches come together to build wheelchair ramps for people who have needed it. He’s seen missions teams make a tremendous impact.

‘First of its kind’

And most recently he’s been excited about the fact that St. Clair County got its first and only charity health clinic, and St. Clair Baptists were able to help get things rolling.

“When I first started here as a DOM, it was hard not having anywhere to refer people,” Crain said. “We are very proud that we have gotten to be one of the founding partners to help establish a free medical clinic in Pell City, the first of its kind.”

Before the clinic opened in July, the rapidly growing county had nowhere for uninsured people to get medical care. Their only option was to go to the emergency room or drive to another county.

“We’re just one piece of the puzzle,” Crain said. “It’s been a real community effort.”

The effort began when Dr. Cristy Daffron, program director for the nursing program at Jefferson State Community College in Pell City, began talking with Easter Seals and the nursing department at Samford University in Birmingham about ways they could meet needs together.

“We have about 12,000 people in our county who are totally uninsured,” Daffron said.

Coming together

They began to pull in other partners like St. Clair Association and worked to renovate some building space offered by the City of Pell City. Area churches, including First Baptist, Eden, Westside Baptist and Cropwell Baptist, pulled together to work on the facility. Numerous churches from a variety of denominations have come together to help staff the clinic with volunteers all the way from doctors to greeters.

“We’re just partners together in working on the building and staffing it with doctors and other medical volunteers,” Crain said. “It’s a dream — patients are being seen, lives are being changed and the gospel is being shared.”
Daffron said St. Clair Association and its churches have been “absolutely amazing.”

“There’s really not been a need that we have stated that Chris hasn’t immediately worked to resolve for us,” she said. “It’s been a wonderful partnership.”