Dr. John Belanger, medical director of the Paint Lick Family Clinic, recently was awarded the 2009 Citizen Doctor of the Year Award by the Kentucky Academy of Family Physicians.
The Citizen Doctor of the Year Award honors a community-minded family physician who provides compassionate, comprehensive care. The award recognizes physicians for their service as role models in their communities, both professionally and personally, with nominations submitted by other health care professionals, physicians in training and medical staff.
Employees from Saint Joseph—Berea who have worked with Dr. Belanger since he first came to Berea were the principal community members who submitted him for the award.
“He has done so much for so many,” said Flora Washburn, mission leader and chaplain at Saint Joseph—Berea.
Belanger opened the Paint Lick Family Clinic in 2000. It is a community owned non-profit organization with a mission is to provide excellent health care regardless of the patient’s ability to pay. Before starting the clinic, Belanger practiced for 10 years in a community health center in McKee. Recognizing that much of his time was spent tackling paperwork and dealing with government bureaucracy, he decided it was time to make a radical change.
Paint Lick Family Clinic maintains a very low overhead to provide care at the lowest cost possible. The clinic operates on a cash-only basis, independent of federal funding and insurance companies, which allows them the flexibility to focus on providing services rather than concentrating on reimbursements.
The average charge is $20 and patients are asked to pay what they can, when they can. The clinic never turns away patients because of their inability to pay. The low overhead also is made possible by Belanger’s requested salary, which is at a level less than many first year family medicine residents.
A press release from Saint Joseph—Berea commends Belanger’s commitment to his mission.
“Belanger lives by his mission,” said the release from Katie Heckman, the hospital’s community relations manager. “In one account of his service, a Hispanic mother was looking for medical care for an ill child late on a Friday afternoon. After being told by numerous offices they would not be seen unless they could pay a sizable fee up front, they came across the name of Dr. Belanger. Upon being contacted, he waited in his office until the mother and child could arrive, which lasted well into the evening. A contribution to the clinic was all that was asked for, only if there was ability to give.”
Belanger turned a dream of service into a reality by writing grants, renovating an abandoned building and fusing volunteers and staff into a team, the release said.
“When he made it his mission to start the Paint Lick Family Clinic, the community opened their wallets, lifted their hammers, and joined their hearts with his to make the clinic a reality,” Heckman’s release said. “Picture a doctor with hammer in hand and stethoscope hanging around his neck.”
