GuardCare brings free care to hundreds in Athens, Ohio

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An Ohio community brought free

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dental, vision and medical care

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to hundreds of its neighbors.

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I'm Bennett Blackwood.

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At GuardCare in Athens, people

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could receive services without an

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income or insurance requirement.

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The overall clinic ran from

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July thirty-first through August second

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at Ohio University's Heritage Hall.

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The university reports four hundred

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ninety-one patients across the three-day event.

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A separate Guard report covers

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its two-day main event, so

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those totals should not be mixed.

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For the people who came,

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the value was practical: eye

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exams, dental treatment, lab work

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and other care in one place.

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Master Sergeant Katy Wade helped organize it.

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Meeting with these agencies,

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such as Athens Public Health and OU,

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and we've built relationships with these people,

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and, um, really kind of, we were able to

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catch the heartbeat and the pulse of

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um, why they do this in their counties

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and how much they care for their neighbors.

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Local health staff, Guard clinicians,

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university teams and community groups worked

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together. Transportation support helped people

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get there from local libraries.

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The event was designed to

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connect residents with ongoing care,

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not replace local providers.

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That August clinic has ended.

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Our website links to the

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official GuardCare program and Athens

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public health for current information.

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