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Mandy Eller, executive director of Beersheba Springs Medical Clinic, discusses the health care challenges of rural Tennessee and how the clinic addresses those challenges in Grundy County.
The BLC Connection Podcast is a fun and informative show from Ben Lomand Connect that answers your questions about the internet, Wi-Fi, home security and more, and brings you information on the stories and events in “Ben Lomand Country.” Bryan, Karen and Micah take you behind the scenes of Ben Lomand Connect, where the cooperative connects Middle Tennessee with the latest in communications technology and with businesses that are making a difference in our service territory. The BLC Connection Podcast also offers tips for business marketing and residential/workplace technology.
Karen Wilson:
Welcome to The BLC Connection podcast.
I'm Karen Wilson and your host for today.
The small episodes will focus on local businesses that excel at
particular parts of customer care.
Today's guest is Mandy Eller with Beersheba Springs Medical
Clinic to discuss the health care challenges of rural
Tennesseans and how the clinic addresses those in Grundy County.
Welcome, Mandy.
Mandy Eller:
Hello. Thank you, Karen.
I appreciate you having me here.
Karen Wilson:
Yeah. Okay. Well, you have been in this role as the executive
director there for almost a year, or longer?
Mandy Eller:
Yes, about 14 months.
Yes.
Karen Wilson:
All righty. So start, I guess, by telling the audience about the
medical clinic, what services you all provide, and kind of
the mission of the clinic.
Mandy Eller:
Yes. So we provide primary care.
We also provide ambulatory services, you know, but also we have
a dispensary onsite.
And we have a dental clinic.
So we do a lot of work with a few people.
Karen Wilson:
Right. Yes.
And, you know, as I was thinking about the clinic and its
location.
Beersheba Springs is such a beautiful area, but there's not a lot
of resources up there.
It's got tons of beauty, but if you need to go to the doctor, to
the grocery store, there's not a lot of choices.
Mandy Eller:
Absolutely. Yes.
And that's exactly why the clinic was created.
So Dr. Adams, our main founder, went to Beersheba Springs for
many years when he was a
child. You know, it was their vacation site and, you know, at
the hotel there.
And he really loved the area.
And he and his wife decided to buy a home down there.
And they made friends with people in the community.
And he had a neighbor who he saw one day, she came to work on
his house and she had what looked to
be like cellulitis right above her eye, which can be very
damaging.
And he said, "You must go.
You must go get help now." And she said, "Well, I don't know
where to go, and I don't know how much it's going to cost." And
so she wasn't going to go.
And so he and his wife took her here to River Park, and when
they were leaving, the bill was going to be $2,400.
And of course, with his knowledge, he was an infectious disease,
a pediatric physician.
And, you know, so with his knowledge, he said, "You know, we
don't have any insurance.
We're going to pay this today." And they were able to get it down
to $600.
And so she was she got treatment and went back home.
But my favorite part of the story is she actually came back to
his house later that day with $600 and said, "I had that.
I just didn't know how much it was going to be.
And, you know, it scared me." And so, you know, that's the
situation that so many people are in, in this state.
Karen Wilson:
Yes, that is so true.
And we think of, I think, because you and I live in McMinnville,
and we're surrounded by some medium
towns, medium sized towns with a hospital and doctors and things
like that.
Mandy Eller:
Yeah.
Karen Wilson:
When you go out up the mountain, especially, there are so few
resources, and you don't really think about like
just you've got a cold.
And just even with COVID and all the things now, people have
been untreated.
Mandy Eller:
Absolutely. You know, and we see people from, you know, it was 18
different counties this last year.
And so, you know, because we are a completely free clinic, it is
unique in that way.
I think there's two other clinics in the state that are set up
the way we are, but we don't take any insurance at all.
Don't bill any insurance.
And so that opens the door for a lot of people, you know, and a
lot of people, they're not necessarily unemployed.
Most of our patients have jobs.
They're just not insured, or they're underinsured.
And so they hesitate on getting the care that they need for that
reason.
Karen Wilson:
Yeah, you see that many times, if you watch TV and you see some
of these shows with people with things and you
think, "Why did they let it go on that long before getting
treatment?" Well, it's probably because of insurance.
Mandy Eller:
It is. It is. And, you know, that's a big reason why I went to
the clinic.
You know, I have experience with that, with my dad and my
sister.
You know, they were either uninsured or underinsured.
And so they didn't seek care in a timely manner because, you
know, seeing it from their perspective, though, we never had the
chance to have this conversation.
I really see it as they were trying to make a decision on, you
know, do I seek care and potentially lose everything I've ever
worked for?
You know, or do I just see if I'm going to be okay?
And they hope that they're going to be okay, but then they
weren't.
You know, and I can't say that, you know, lack of insurance is
exactly why they're no longer with us, but I definitely think it
factored into it.
Karen Wilson:
Yeah, you lost a sister during the Covid-19.
Mandy Eller:
Covid. Yeah.
Karen Wilson:
Young, You know, beautiful lady, who you just did not anticipate
would be gone because of it.
Mandy Eller:
Right. Absolutely.
Yeah. And you know, and I was her next of kin.
So I was taking her and navigating this huge system.
And I saw how, you know, it's not the people in the hospitals
fault.
You know, I feel for the case managers and really the doctors
and the nurses and everyone having to deal with this huge
bureaucracy, you know.
And so I saw how difficult that is to navigate for families.
And so when this position came open, I thought that would be a
great way to kind of to do it the right way.
Karen Wilson:
Well, and as you said, this wasn't on our topic, but that brings
up to me how important an advocate is,
because your loved one is probably sick, not feeling well, not
even processing everything that they're going through.
Mandy Eller:
Right.
Karen Wilson:
And that other person needs to be there for them, whether it's a
friend, a family member, to hear and to understand
what all is happening.
Mandy Eller:
Absolutely. And I even had to rely on, you know, nurse friends
and physician friends to help clarify the situation and say, "You
know, is this really how it is?
Or are they just having to tell me this because of this certain
situations and laws and things?" And so it was a lot to
navigate. Absolutely.
Karen Wilson:
Yes. So you kind of told us about the clinic beginning.
Dr. Adams, I believe you said.
Mandy Eller:
Yes.
Karen Wilson:
And so I guess he started working as far as utilizing resources.
Tell us how that actually came together.
Mandy Eller:
So there were, I think, three or four people on a porch in
Beersheba Springs at one of the homes, and he told the story of
his friend whom he had helped.
And it was he and Phil Mayhew.
They gave the money.
And then another was Renee Hobbs, which she's been the office
manager until this year, and I have her moved over to community
health worker now, which is extremely important.
But she was one of them, and then another citizen in Beersheba
Springs, and they came up with this concept in 2008 and
got it fully incorporated by 2010.
And it's been open since then.
Karen Wilson:
I can't imagine how you even begin to organize something to where
you're giving free
services, free medical services, which we all know the expense
of that, to an entire territory, region of people.
Mandy Eller:
Yeah.
Karen Wilson:
And, of course, we'll touch on that a little bit.
I'll go ahead, I guess, and bring that up about you all are a
501c3.
Yes. But you receive no funding on the state or federal level.
How is that possible?
Mandy Eller:
Right. Yes.
And so yeah, it's the generous donors.
And honestly, it's the story of the clinic and what the clinic
does.
I've been amazed because, you know, since I've been there,
we've really been working on grants.
That was really what I was bringing to the table, because before
it was all individual donations, which is incredible, you know?
But the people there in Beersheba Springs, they have homes
there, and they support their friends with the people in the
community. And so they they give very generously to the clinic.
And then we also have physicians who, you know, our volunteer
physicians who come in and work with us, who also support us.
And so it's incredible the support it does receive.
Karen Wilson:
Yeah, I mean, it's got to take people like that doing it.
But as you said, grants, and luckily it's a good time for
grants.
Mandy Eller:
Absolutely. Yes.
And so that's. Yes, because, you know, there was kind of a
misconception whenever I came in of, "Well, we don't take state
or federal funding, so we have to be careful." But I had a
wonderful conversation with Dr.
Adams, and he said, "You know, as long as it just doesn't drag
us into having to be part of that bureaucracy, you know, if we
can stay away from that." Because that's really why we get a lot
of the volunteers that we get because they actually get to just
do what they went to school to do.
You know, they don't have to worry about all the insurance and
the bureaucracy.
They're not plugged into the system.
They just really get to be with the person the entire way
through the process.
They even get to hand them their medication and explain to them
how to use it.
And that, you know, I try to talk to every resident and
physician who comes in and that's what they say consistently, is
they just love how it's so grassroots, you know, and they get to
do what they normally wouldn't get to do otherwise.
Karen Wilson:
Probably go back a hundred years or so into how doctors and
nurses were able to do the
job without all of the paperwork and things like that.
Mandy Eller:
It does, but it also brings in the modern element of medicine.
Karen Wilson:
Yes.
Mandy Eller:
You know, I mean, we have a dispensary there on site.
We don't keep any controlled substances or narcotics, but we do
occasionally prescribe, say, gabapentin for diabetic
neuropathy. We have lots of diabetic patients.
You know, and our patients, do, they have very complicated
comorbidities and, you know, due to their life circumstances.
And so it's also an interesting challenge for the doctors who
come, you know, to get to the bottom of everything that's going
on with this person.
And thankfully, we have wonderful physicians.
We have programs with Erlanger and Saint Thomas, and they run
residents through.
We have physicians who are over that program to the UT College
of Medicine.
They send residents to us.
And yeah, every Friday, we receive a rotation.
And we also are part of Yale's Global Health Program.
And so we're actually going to get a Yale resident down here in
the spring.
So we usually get one a couple of times a year for a few weeks.
Karen Wilson:
I bet they're amazed at the beautiful location, and then getting
to know the people of Tennessee.
Wonderful people.
Mandy Eller:
Yes. Yes. And they get to see a whole different side of medicine.
And that's something that I think that the clinic also plays a
very important role in educating people from all over on, you
know, the needs of rural citizens.
You know, unfortunately, a lot of rural students are not going
into medical school.
You know, and part of that's because they think, "Well, you
know, we won't score as high on the on the tests and all of those
things." And it's sad.
And because the fact is that doctors, if they've grown up in an
urban area, don't typically go to a rural area, but we have the
opportunity to bring these physicians in from all over.
You know, one's just starting out in their residency and get to
show them the needs of of rural Americans in
Tennessee.
Karen Wilson:
Challenges here are very different than urban areas.
Mandy Eller:
Absolutely.
Karen Wilson:
We could talk about that. It would probably be a whole another
podcast, I would think.
So, let's talk about some of the challenges of providing medical
care in that area of Tennessee.
I go back to the people of rural Tennessee and just rural
America in general.
Are people, I guess, resistant of doctors?
Let's talk about as far as the education of what their
circumstances are, as far as their health, and things
like that. What are some of the challenges?
Mandy Eller:
Absolutely. So, you know, a lot of them before the clinic opened,
had never been to a doctor.
And maybe they'd been to Doctor Harbert, you know, which he was a
doctor, don't get me wrong.
But, you know, it was not the extensive kind of medical care
that they were needing.
And so, yes, there is.
It's a generational thing that, you know, their parents didn't
seek it until they absolutely had to have it.
And they do the same thing.
And so it's a re-education trying to educate them that, you
know, let's get on top of this and stay on top of it, you know,
so that you can have a longer life.
And it's a challenge because generationally, it's just not what
they've had available to them.
And but, you know, we also have really great success stories,
you know, people changing their lives and turning their lives
around. So, you know, it does make a difference.
It really does.
Karen Wilson:
I noticed you all work with Steve and Karen Wickham.
Mandy Eller:
Yes.
Karen Wilson:
And they're diabetic – and we've had them on Tabletop before it
Ben Lomand.
But education, I'm sure, is a huge part of, you know, here's the
situation that you're in.
Let's try to change that.
Mandy Eller:
Absolutely. Absolutely.
And there are additional challenges.
You know, we just brought on an AmeriCorps service member to
actually work with them individually as well.
So we do the classes, but then they actually make an
appointment.
And because it's been, it's interesting just, you know, teaching
a class, it's not exactly the easiest way to reach our
patients, you know, because that might be an uncomfortable
situation sometimes.
So we offer it because it's important information, and they come
and they participate and that's great.
But we also need to help them on a one-on-one level, because
there are so many other barriers that they're facing.
You know, you mentioned, I think, grocery stores earlier.
That is. I mean, it's a food desert.
And so it's very hard for them to get fresh foods.
So we're talking about this spring bringing back our raise beds
and incorporating that into our diabetic classes and looking at
doing a community kitchen where we all cook food together, and
they learn how to cook these fresh foods because that's also
something that's been lost, you know.
Karen Wilson:
Right. We think of, you know, rural America.
We've all had gardens and things like that.
But some of this generation is getting older and unable to
garden.
Plus when we garden, we tend to want to fry everything, right?
Mandy Eller:
Exactly. Yes.
Yes.
Karen Wilson:
But there are some healthy ways to fix those fresh foods that
kind of, you know, maybe not tried before.
Mandy Eller:
Yes. And I'm glad you brought up the frying because we're looking
at our classes coming up for diabetics and thinking about
rewarding people with air fryers, you know, for coming and
attending the classes.
So you've got to think of incentives on how to get them there,
you know?
Karen Wilson:
Yeah, that's a really good idea.
That's a hot thing right now that a lot of people love, and
yeah, a lot of times, it can be pricey, and it's not
something you're just going to go buy yourself to try.
That's a great idea.
Yeah. So the clinic also provides dental care in areas with few
resources.
I can think of probably even fewer dentists in that area.
Elaborate on the significance of that because I mean, we don't
really think of dental as being, kind of we think of it
as maybe even cosmetic, but it can cause so many other problems.
Mandy Eller:
Dental care is health care.
Absolutely, and that's why we created the clinic.
So my predecessor was the first executive director, and she saw,
you know, these people, our patients coming in over and over
again for antibiotics with these abscess teeth.
And, you know, that's not good to have to take antibiotics so
many times because then you can become resistant, and it really
causes problems.
And so, but there was no there was no solution.
You know, there's one dentist in Monteagle in Grundy County,
but, you know, they have to pay.
And so people just weren't receiving the care.
And so they opened the dental clinic.
And thankfully to Smile180, the foundation under Delta Dental,
funded our dental clinic, and it's the most high tech
. You'll have to come see it sometime.
It's the most high tech part of it, but thanks to them.
And thankfully we have a dentist, Dr.
McCracken. So his grandfather lived in Grundy County, and so –
and he comes back and sees his aunt whenever he
comes up there.
But he teaches at UAB.
He's actually a really big deal.
I didn't realize because he's so, so humble.
And when I looked up his bio, I said, "Wow, this guy's coming
here." And I mean because he's written several books and, you
know, but he runs several clinics and including Revive Dental,
and he was just opening that whenever he came to us.
And he sends residents to us every month.
And so we have a dental clinic day every month, usually pull
around 65 teeth, because what we're doing right now is just
extractions. And I'll tell you, Karen, that was the eye opening
moment for me whenever I started at the clinic.
It was, I believe it was, November of last year.
We had our first clinic, and our first patient of the day left
in tears.
And I thought, "Well, I would be crying too, because I think she
had her last six teeth removed that day." And, you know, I was
thinking about it for more like vanity, right?
But she was actually crying because she finally had relief.
It was the first time she hadn't been in pain in so long.
And she was actually asking for the dental assistants address
and the dentist address because she wanted to send them a gift.
And that just really, that changed.
That was perspective I needed.
You know, coming from a totally different kind of nonprofit
work.
That was really a reality check for me.
And I thought, "Wow, this is really important work.
These people need this."
Karen Wilson:
It is. It is.
And, you know, we are somewhat sheltered from being exposed to
that.
And, just how, I guess, common it is in areas like that, as you
said, to go
untreated, in pain.
And a lot of times that's what has led people to addictions and
things like that.
Mandy Eller:
Absolutely.
Karen Wilson:
That was a big factor in rural America.
But you were in pain.
You took medication.
You know, just to kind of get by.
Mandy Eller:
Right. Yeah.
Yeah, absolutely.
And, you know, I was going to say, we're also creating our
denture lab, so that should be up this next
year. So, you know, we're removing all these teeth.
And I wanted to bring that up because it kind of hinted on
employment, and that is a big deal.
You know, whenever people begin to lose their teeth, they can't
just get a job anywhere.
And they have to, you know, either in the back, in a warehouse
or night shift, and think about what that does to a person's
psyche. You know, and just because their parents never took them
to the dentist, you know, because they never went to the dentist.
And it's a generational thing.
And so it's not always drugs that creates it, though we
definitely see that.
A lot of times it's just where they they fell asleep with the
bottle in their mouth, and they never saw a dentist before.
And it's just a generational thing.
And so, you know, we look forward to being able to supply, you
know, dentures, especially to our younger folks who still really
want to get out and have a social life.
I mean, they have to be shut in.
And it's sad.
Karen Wilson:
And it affects even eating.
Mandy Eller:
Yes, it does.
Karen Wilson:
And all kinds of things like that we kind of take for granted.
You know, there's a reason that we have those teeth, and we need
those.
Mandy Eller:
Yeah, we've definitely seen that, too.
Just inflamed gums from trying to eat, and people losing a lot
of weight because they just can't eat food.
Karen Wilson:
Yeah, that's a wonderful resource.
I noticed one of your posts.
It was very excited that Dr.
McCracken was coming back.
And so, yes, I guess you all provide that, say, monthly, is that
right?
Mandy Eller:
Yeah, We see about 10 to 12 patients a month, and right now,
we're booked out almost through February.
So but, you know, we see about 17 to 18% of our patients in
total from Warren County.
And really we see more in the dental clinic from Warren County,
and even White County and DeKalb.
I mean, because there's just nothing like it around, and there's
such a great need for it.
Karen Wilson:
Yeah, Yeah, that's a great resource.
As I said, I mentioned Grundy County.
But you all, as you said, are providing the care.
You don't have to be a resident of Grundy County.
Mandy Eller:
No, we actually can't refuse service to anyone, you know, being
a 501c3.
And so, I mean, if someone walks through the door, they're going
to receive care.
And, you know, as long as we can give it to them that day, we'll
do it.
And, you know, I want to give a special thanks too to River Park
Hospital, because, you know, we can only do so much there.
We don't have the imaging.
We don't have, you know, we have an EKG, but we don't have
ultrasound or, you know, anything like that and or x-ray.
And so we often send people to River Park, and they're so kind.
They give us unlimited x-rays, you know, in so many CT scans
and, you know, all of that stuff.
And that's the only way a lot of our patients could get that
continuity of care.
You know, and thankfully, because we have these wonderful
physicians who volunteer with us from these different hospitals,
and they have connections, we can often connect people with
specialists who need to be seen, and they will do it at reduced
or no cost.
And so it's really incredible to see how it all comes together
and how these amazing people work together to help these people.
Karen Wilson:
Yeah. Do you all do pediatric care there as well?
Mandy Eller:
We don't at the moment, yeah.
Because our physicians can't see children under the age of 16.
But, you know, they do have a health department there.
And so, you know, we try to send them there.
We hope that they're engaging, but not at this time, we don't
have pediatric care.
Karen Wilson:
Well, and as you said, most counties, all counties have a health
department, and they're pretty much taken care of.
I think a lot of times it's that, as you said, the thirties and
forties, and then that older demographic that really where
they're not receiving the help they need.
Mandy Eller:
Right. And children are covered under TennCare automatically, you
know, until they turn 18.
So I think that helps in that area.
But yes, the adults can be completely left out.
Karen Wilson:
Yeah. And we tend to be the one, try to be the bigger person, and
I can get through this.
I can get through this, but as I've said, it's probably not the
brightest thing to think of, but sometimes we're
not all lucky enough to die.
And what I mean by when I say that is that something could be
prevented that would keep you from being
in a vegetative state or helpless and in a nursing home and
things like that.
No one wants to linger like that.
And it would just be better to, you know, just to prevent that
from ever happening.
Mandy Eller:
Absolutely. Absolutely.
Yes. And it's a mindset shift, you know, and education in the
community.
And that's part of what the community health worker is doing
now.
We created that position through a grant with the Tennessee
Charitable Care Network, and hopefully we'll have it for at least
a couple of years.
But, you know, she really works on all the social determinants
of health and even helping them with like food security and
housing and employment and whatever they're needing at the time.
It's beyond the walls of the clinic.
So it's yeah.
Karen Wilson:
Yeah, it's lots of resources being given out.
And I love how something I have noticed in Grundy County is
there's a lot of people
that care about the people of Grundy that are, you know, from
free legal services to just all
kinds of different resources because of lack of funds in a lot
of people's areas, but they still
need those resources.
Mandy Eller:
Yes. So, you know, when I first came in, I was looking for what
foundations to approach.
Since we were 501c3, and the Community Foundation of Middle
Tennessee does not include Grundy.
And the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga does not
include Grundy.
I think it's the only county in the state that's not included in
either, you know, in those state community foundations.
And so it's really interesting.
And also the Healing Trust that would normally fund someone like
us, Grundy County is cut out.
So sometimes they've really been left behind in a lot of ways.
Geographically, I understand what they're doing because it kind
of looks like it's in the middle, but it sort of could fit in the
east. And so but it's kind of like a hot potato, I think,
because there are so many complex issues in Grundy.
And, you know, it was a coal mining community.
And when the coal mines left, nothing really came back to
replace it.
You know, they have lumber and tourism.
They're really pushing tourism there now, too.
But that takes time, as we all know.
Karen Wilson:
Grundy is always– it is a unique place.
It's beautiful.
It reminds me of going to East Tennessee, but you don't have the
drive.
It's very close, all the beautiful things there.
But it's so large and spread out.
And each community is kind of its own little area.
Mandy Eller:
Absolutely.
Karen Wilson:
When you're talking about like Beersheba Springs, Gruetli-Laager.
That's a pretty good little drive to go into Monteagle.
Mandy Eller:
It really is.
Karen Wilson:
And even Monteagle is limited on their groceries and things like
that.
So it's very diverse.
Mandy Eller:
Absolutely. Yeah, because of the topography, you know, I mean,
you do.
It takes like an hour to get across the county, you know.
And because you don't have like a four lane like we do here, you
know, it's all those winding roads.
And you're right.
I mean, it is. I think it's six or seven different townships,
you know, within Grundy County.
And they all have their own flavor and their own identity and
their own pride.
And so I find it an incredibly interesting place.
It's really, it's really funny.
But I love Beersheba Springs, and, you know, I get to have the
most beautiful commute to work every time, you know, drive
through urban college. That's normally the way that I go because
I love going up the mountain.
Karen Wilson:
Aa long as the road stays stable.
Mandy Eller:
Right. Yes.
Yes.
Karen Wilson:
They've had a few issues with the highway falling off the
mountain.
Mandy Eller:
Yeah. They look like they've really reinforced it this time.
So hopefully it'll stay.
But it is such a gorgeous drive, and it's just such a peaceful
kind of place, you know.
And everybody just does their own thing.
They keep to themselves.
But yet at the same time, friends are like family, and family
means so much there.
And so I really enjoy getting to know the people in Grundy.
Karen Wilson:
It's been very fortunate, I guess, because of the beauty of the
area.
Lots of resources come in from outside of Grundy County because
people appreciate the beauty, and then they fall in love
with the people.
Mandy Eller:
Yes, absolutely.
I mean, it really is.
And, you know, I was concerned going into Grundy, you know,
because I wasn't a native.
And, you know, a lot of times when small towns, it's hard to fit
in.
Karen Wilson:
Be accepted, right.
Mandy Eller:
Yeah. Yeah. But, you know, I just talked about, you know, I mean,
I grew up in a small community.
And honestly, if we go back to our bloodlines, you know, most of
us, I have Native American, Scots-Irish, you know,
bloodlines, and so do they.
Karen Wilson:
They do too.
Mandy Eller:
And so, I mean, you know, my dad grew up in Irvin College.
That's where my family is from.
And so, you know, we're really not that far removed.
Karen Wilson:
Yeah. Yeah. None of us are.
Especially if you trace back.
I love to think about accents and things like in the South.
And we all kind of come from the same Scotch-Irish a lot do
anyway.
That's where we get that hard "r" and that's right.
Those great things that we, as we speak, we hear.
Without giving names, tell us, I guess, a story of someone at the
clinic.
I'm sure there's countless stories, but is there someone that
you can think of that this has made such a difference in their
life?
Mandy Eller:
Yeah. You know, there was a woman recently who was waiting on her
diabetic medication, and I was talking to her, and
she said, "You know, my mom's alive because of this clinic." And
I said, "Really?" And she said, "Yeah." We have a mammogram bus
that comes by once or twice a year.
And she went they, you know, the people in the clinic said, "No,
you need to come and do this.
It's free. It'll be here all day." And she did.
And, of course, they found they found a lump in her breast.
And so, but they caught it early, and the clinic stuck with her
the whole time.
And, you know, that's why they caught it.
She wouldn't have sought that care otherwise, you know.
But I've heard that a lot.
I've heard many patients saying, "I would be dead right now
without the clinic because, you know, they've taught me how to
manage my diabetes." And I can live.
I can live, you know.
Well, a lot of times they talk about how they can take care of
their grandchildren more so than they could before.
So it's all about family there.
And that's what I hear a lot in those testimonies is they get to
have a better life with their families, you know, and they're
still able to be with their families.
Karen Wilson:
Well, and diabetic medication has come so far, and they're
getting exposed to new medicines that are
really making a difference in their lives.
Mandy Eller:
Absolutely. They've really come a long way.
I mean, and they're in high demand right now, too.
Karen Wilson:
So I've heard.
Lots of people wanting that ozempic or whatever it is.
Mandy Eller:
Yeah, actually just for weight loss.
Yeah.
Karen Wilson:
Let's leave it for those diabetics.
They need it.
Mandy Eller:
They really do.
Karen Wilson:
Yeah. Well, I just want to say thank you, Mandy, for coming and
being on the podcast and what a wonderful resource in
our area.
And you guys are, I'm just still in awe that you all are able to
operate being a 501c3
without any government or state funding.
Mandy Eller:
Yeah, it's a shoestring budget, but we do it.
And you know, that's what I love about non-profits, though.
It's always a challenge, you know, to keep it going.
But it takes so many people to do it.
And it's just, I'm always impressed with the heart of the people
on the board and in the community of the clinic.
Karen Wilson:
Now, I noticed on the website there is a way for people to
contribute.
They can either contribute monthly or just a one-time donation.
Mandy Eller:
Absolutely, Yes. Yes.
You can go to our website BeershebaClinic.org.
And I mean, that is how we operate.
We rely on that and every bit of it goes to patient care.
Karen Wilson:
Yes. Yeah. You don't have a whole lot of overhead.
Mandy Eller:
No.
Karen Wilson:
Keeping it lean and mean.
Mandy Eller:
Absolutely.
Karen Wilson:
To provide that service.
Thank you again, Mandy, for being a part of The BLC Connection
podcast, and we invite our listeners to tune in for future
episodes and share this content with other businesses.
Until next time, this is your BLC Connection.