Local Leaders Put A SPIN On Medical Assistance For The Working Poor

On any given day, you will find me pounding out a press release, media alert, pitching a story to the media, or concocting these off-the-wall ideas to garner buzz about whatever project/product/cause I am working on. Some of them I am super passionate about, some I do it because I have to.

Today I was super proud of a project my Leadership Macon Class has been working on for quite some time. 

The Class of 2013 for Leadership Macon, a program sponsored by The Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce, spent eleven months studying the needs of Macon-Bibb County and uncovered one of the most cost prohibiting health disparities in the nation today – the lack of affordable health care resources for the working poor. 

After much consideration, SPIN (Surgery For People In Need,) was created as an option for those that qualify as the “working poor” to receive free outpatient surgery through community partners identified by the class. The working poor are working people whose incomes fall below a given poverty line. The Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Macon Class of 2013 partnered with the Macon Volunteer Clinic and The Medical Center of Central Georgia. 

“On December 1st, we conducted the first surgery day for our program,” said Dr. Benjie Christie, Leadership Macon Class of 2013 member and surgeon for The Medical Center of Central Georgia, “We did four cases. The day started at 6 am and finished around 11:30 am. The volunteer turnout was great, the patient/process flow was efficient, and systematically things ran as smooth as silk.”

The SPIN program is the first volunteer surgery program in the state of Georgia. The goal of this program is to deliver high quality surgical services to ensure a superior patient experience and clinical outcome. All medical care will be provided by licensed professional staff.  Staffing will be maintained at a level of competency to meet standard of care and the patient’s needs.  Age specific pharmaceuticals and equipment will be available.  Support services for individual patient requirements will be provided through community services and resources.

All patients will be treated with the utmost respect and care and all patients will be assessed and care provided according to the approved policy and procedure of the facility.

It's a good day for our class, for our community, and for people who work so hard to make ends meet, but can't afford the health care they deserve. These are people that make too much for Medicaid, but not enough to afford health insurance. 

My hope is that we make a difference in the quality of life for people just trying to have some sort of a quality of life. :-)