By CHRIS SHIPMAN Hometown News shipman.news@gmail.com The story of the The Woodruff Free Medical Clinic, which has now been in operation for approximately five years, is literally the story of a dream fulfilled. Dr. Michael Willmot, the clinic’s medical director, said he was asleep in bed several years ago when he was awakened by a voice telling him to start the clinic. “I can’t do that, Lord,” he answered, but the reply came back “I will open every door.” Soon after, Willmot went to Frank Stone for help starting the clinic. Stone turned him down at first, but a few days later, they saw each other again and Stone told Willmot that he hadn’t slept since the last time they spoke. They started making plans, and Willmot went around to all the churches in Woodruff to spread the word about the clinic. He said he didn’t know what to expect, but he had faith and has been met with an overwhelming response. Since that time, volunteers and donors have made the clinic thrive. The first clinic was in the old Abney Mill office. It was eventually moved to the old Emma Gray Methodist Church parsonage on West Georgia Street. The efforts of Frank Stone and the Woodruff First Baptist Acteens helped secure the location and make it fit to serve. The clinic is open every Tuesday afternoon at 5:30 and stays open until the last patient is seen. In order to qualify for service at the clinic, a patient must live in Spartanburg County School District Four, make limited or low income, and have no access to any other sources of medical help. Patients must be employed and uninsured, but some may also be eligible for three months if they have just been laid-off from their jobs. Patients are seen by appointment only, since the clinic is not equipped to handle emergencies. The patients usually spend their first appointment completing paper work and don’t usually see the doctor until their second visit. The office sees about eight patients a week. The majority of the clinic’s patients are treated for hypertension, diabetes, and cholesterol, but the clinic does not handle pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, chronic pain or treat children under the age of six. Willmot will also not prescribe any narcotics. The medical staff works in conjunction with the St. Luke’s Free Medical Clinic in Spartanburg. St. Luke’s assists with setting up charts, training personnel, and performing more advanced medical procedures, such as surgery, blood work, mammograms, X-rays, and other tests. The office volunteers are the driving force and the clinic’s lifeblood. Without their devotion, none of the clinic’s good works would be possible. Most of the nurses work full time jobs, and many of the administrators have retired but continue to give their time. They are helping to fulfill a great need, and they grow close to many of their patients. The patients also appreciate the help they’re given. “If they hadn’t helped me, I don’t know who would have,” said Lisa Tucker, a patient at the clinic. “As long as you’re trying, they’ll try to help you.” Betty Jo Taylor, a retired volunteer, said she has seen a need for free healthcare, especially from her days working at the B.J. Workman Hospital, and the patients’ grateful response is what keeps her serving. “It’s a good feeling to help somebody that needs it,” added Charlie Mae Gilliam, another volunteer. “Some of our patients have died, and it was like losing a family member,” Taylor said. “Some get back on their feet, and we rejoice for them. Some continue to come month after month. But all of our patients work and have low incomes without insurance, and we are grateful to have such a good resource for them.” Jeannie Myers has worked in the pediatric intensive care unit in Greenville for the last 24 years. She spent the first seven years of her career working in the B.J. Workman Hospital. Angela Butz, who has worked in Spartanburg Regional’s Heart Center for five years and is working on her nursing degree, also volunteers at the clinic. Both started out at the clinic to fulfill professional obligations, but both have stayed on because they love serving there. In the heart center and the pediatric intensive care unit, both work in high-pressure, often life-and-death situations, and they both enjoy the break from the intensity the clinic gives them. “It’s a comfortable, slower pace,” Myers said. There are no lives on the line, and it gives the nurses a chance to connect with their patients in a way that’s impossible in their regular jobs. “It makes me feel like I’m human,” Butz said. “It’s a chance to slow down and enjoy why we got into nursing,” Myers agreed.