Samaritan's Touch Care Center planning LP clinic

Officials at Samaritan's Touch Care Center have known about the need for its services in Lake Placid and the south end of Highlands County, and now the Christian humanitarian organization is planning to do something about it.

Diana Furr, the executive director at Samaritan's Touch, said Monday that 15 percent of the patients who visit the Sebring clinic are from the Lake Placid area.

Furr said there have been more than 15,000 patient visits since it opened in 2007. She added that Samaritan's Touch is at capacity in the 2,600-square-foot building in Sebring.

The free clinic, which is not affiliated with any organization, provides primary and specialized care to area families who have no medical insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid. Their incomes must be at or below 200 percent of federal poverty guidelines.

"We are serving people who fall through the cracks," she said.

The arrangement for the building that is being considered in Lake Placid has not been finalized. Samaritan's Touch will be leasing it at a "very reasonable rate," according to Furr.

It is 1,800 square feet and needs some interior work, Furr noted.

Samaritan's Touch has received a $35,000 grant from the Highlands County Health Facilities Authority for the Lake Placid clinic.

Furr is hoping the clinic will open in July.

First Presbyterian Church of Lake Placid contacted Samaritan's Touch about expanding to the town in December 2008. Furr said the clinic's board met with the church's trustees and the idea has moved forward.

"We believe the Lord sent them to us," she said.

The Rev. Ray Cameron of First Presbyterian is the chairman of the steering committee that involves other churches as well as other people in the community. Members of First Baptist Church of Lake Placid, Trinity Lutheran, St. James Catholic Church and St. Francis of Assisi Episcopal are involved.

The clinic will need financial support, in-kind donations and volunteers. Those who are interested in helping should call Cameron at 465-2742.

Furr will be discussing the Lake Placid clinic during Wednesday's Lake Placid Chamber of Commerce luncheon meeting.