Trailer park health care

Like most health clinics, there are a couple of doctors, a patients’ room and a waiting area inside the Dalton Hispanic Seventh-day Adventist Church’s clinic.

What differs is that the clinic is inside a mobile home in the middle of a Dalton, Ga., trailer park known by many as “Mexico Chiquito,” or “Little Mexico,” because of the number of residents from that country.

The church bought and renovated a rundown mobile home with the idea of offering religious services there, said Clarencia Sánchez, one of several church members involved in the mission along with the pastor, Manuel Mendizabal, and his wife, Graciela.

But after organizing a health expo at the church and in the trailer park, they realized the community’s needs were more than spiritual.

Twice a month, one of three volunteer doctors spends about four hours in the makeshift clinic. Inside the trailer there are rows of gray folding chairs in front of a long table where blood is drawn; a small patient room in the back with a bed, a desk and medicine cabinet; and a separate area divided by a black curtain that serves as a doctor’s office.

“Everybody has a different philosophy on health care and the money aspect,” said Dr. Lee Whitaker, a Chattanooga family physician who volunteers with his wife, Cassandra, and Dr. Pablo Balboa from Dalton.

“I’m simply a person who believes everyone should have access to health care, and I put my body where my mouth is,” he said.

Last Sunday, a dentist under a white tent screened people such as Rebeca Martínez, who couldn’t remember the last time she had professional dental care.

“They treat us very well here, and it’s low cost,” said the 16-year-old while waiting for her sister María outside the mobile home.

All services are free, but Wildwood Lifestyle Center and Hospital charges a minimum fee for some lab work.

Eliseo López visited the clinic for the second time, a 45-minute drive from his home in Ellijay, Ga., that he said is well worth the trip.

“This clinic is very good, because right now there’s a lot of people who need help,” he said as he waited in a narrow hall between the bathrooms and the back door. “We don’t have health insurance, and work is very slow right now.”

On an average Sunday, the doctor sees 15 to 20 patients, said Dr. Cassandra Whitaker, an obstetrician-gynecologist from Chattanooga.

“Most of the people I see are actually relatively healthy people. They want a general physical exam, they want to be counseled on lifestyle changes,” she said. “But some of the things we see are hypertension, diabetes, fibroids in women.”

Since opening the clinic in September, they’ve basically met the needs of more than 500 residents who live in 115 mobile homes but they would like to reach out to more people outside the neighborhood, Mr. Mendizabal said.

The church also has activities for children to teach them how to brush their teeth, health-related talks for the adults and a church service on Sundays.

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