Bryan Adcock of the Southern Missouri Community Health Center (SMCHC), standing, spoke to the Sunrise Rotary Club during its most recent meeting at the West Plains Country Club. Opening its doors in 2003, the “community-driven project” sees about 26,000 patient visits a year, he shared. Patients are primarily of lower incomes and on Medicare, Medicaid or a sliding fee scale. The professional staff includes 5 doctors, 4 nurse practitioners, 2 social workers, and 3 dentists. The dentists only see children, with about 4,000 visits a year. The center’s free prescription program has covered $12.6 million in prescriptions since its inception. SMCHC has a good relationship with Ozarks Healthcare, he told Rotarians, with a shared goal of keeping patients with minor issues out of the emergency room. The center has purchased and demolished the former Family Cinema building and will add 16,000 square feet to the west side of the original building. SMCHC is celebrating 20 years of providing care to the residents of Howell and Oregon Counties.
