Ghanaian Catholic Community In Worcester Operates Free Clinic

The Ghanaian Catholic Community in Worcester in collaboration with the African Catholic Ministry in the Diocese of Worcester, Massachusetts is operating a free medical clinic.

The clinic serves uninsured and underinsured patients from Central Massachusetts. The clinic sees patients with non-life threatening condition or refer patients for appropriate emergency and non- emergency care.

Historically, the majority of patients that attend the clinic have been women and children.

The clinic which is located at the St. Anne’s Catholic Church at 130 Boston Turnpike, Shrewsbury, Massachusetts is a walk-in urgent care facility operated by an all-volunteer staff drawn from the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, UMASS Medical School, the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and the St. Vincent medical Center as well as other medical professionals in the Worcester Country.

The clinic which operates on Tuesdays from 6:00pm to 8:00pm also has a Board of Trustees who provides executive oversight to the administration of the clinic.

According to Dr. Tony Adade, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Clinic, the Board of Trustees is charged by the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Worcester, Bishop Robert J. McManus, through the African Ministry of the diocese.

Dr. Adade was speaking on New Vision Radio 103.5 FM’s News Review program hosted by Kweku Awortwi-Mensah in Worcester.

Dr. Adade explained that the mission of the Clinic is to provide high-quality, respectful, and free medical care in accord with Catholic principles in service to Christ for the under-served population of Worcester County regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, or ability to pay.

He explained further that the Clinic provides an interactive learning environment for nursing and medical students thereby allowing them to develop clinical, organizational and leadership skills

as well as instill in students a lifelong commitment of service to the community and others in need.

Dr. Adade mentioned that some the services provided by the clinic include work physicals, school physical examinations, sick visits, immunizations, tuberculosis testing, medications for the uninsured, seasonal flu shot clinics, dermatologic services, pediatrician services, podiatric services, psychiatric services and health insurance help and assistance as well as interpreter services in assisting with patient registration and facilitating communication between patients and physicians during the medical visit.

Dr. Adade said the African Catholic Ministry inherited the clinic which was established in 1996 under the direction of Dr. Harvey G. Clermont, an Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. According to Dr. Adade, after operating the Clinic from 1996-2015, Dr. Clermont, who has been the Medical Director of the Clinic decided to go on retirement and close down the clinic, hence the decision by the Ministry to acquire the clinic and to ensure its continuous operation.

He urged all clinic support staff to continue to uphold the highest standards of professionalism which includes but is not limited to speaking to and treating patients with respect, maintaining patient confidentiality, seeking expertise in cases where one lacks experience and following all established state and federal standards, policies and procedures.

On his part, Mr. Ncholas Obeng, Treasurer of the board of Trustees who spoke on the same platform said the Clinic receives donations from corporate organizations as well as private individuals to sustain the running of the Clinic. He further stated that on the average about 80 patients visit the clinic on the day of operation.

Throwing more light on the activities of the African Catholic Ministry in the Diocese of Worcester, Mr. Obeng, who is also the President of the Ghanaian Catholic Community in Worcester stated that the African Catholic Ministry is a formation of various African Catholic Communities in the Diocese of Worcester.

He stated that the Ministry comprises of members from the African Catholic Communities at the Cathedral St. Paul, St. Peter/St. Andrew Parish and St. Joan of Arc Parish all in Worcester and the Community from St. Anthony Parish in Fitchburg.

Mr. Obeng said the Ministry aims to foster the unity of all African Catholics living in the Greater Worcester Area around the figure of Christ and the Church. He said the mission of the Ministry is to support the spiritual guidance, migration and other areas of need for the members.

Besides the Clinic, Mr. Obeng said the African Catholic Ministry also offers food pantry, English as a Second Language Classes and Employment Assistance to needy members of the various Communities.

Mr. Obeng urged members to look out for these services to ensure that they better their livelihood. He further urged members in need of any assistance to contact the office of the African Ministry located at the Chancery Building at 49 Elm Street in Worcester and speak to Rev. Fr. Eric Kweku Asante, the Director of the African Ministry in the Diocese of Worcester.

Source: Paul Awortwi-Mensah, New Vision Radio 103.5FM, Worcester, MA