How did you hear about Athens Wellness Clinic, what was then Athens Nurses Clinic?

I contacted Paige [AWC Executive Direct0r] and introduced myself, told her about my specialty in viral hep C and about the clinic I ran at Mercy. She said she had heard about my work. I said, “I understand you plan on doing this [hep C] treatment” and asked if I could come over and talk to her about it because it’s a very complicated treatment and the patient population is also complicated. What I didn't want to see happen was patients failing therapy and becoming resistant to treatment because that presents a host of challenges down the line. I gave a presentation that showed just how bad hep C in the community can get. Treatment is successful if you do it right, but if you don't do it right, it creates more problems that spiral into bigger problems. From there we began building a program that gained momentum the more we began to successfully treat patients. We had a team mentality because it’s difficult to do this kind of work alone.

How does the Hep C Treatment Program work?

Often a patient will come in for some other condition, like hypertension. We run a routine antibody test and if that is positive, what that tells me is not that they have the virus, but that they were exposed to it at some point in time which in 15% of the cases can self-resolve. Once we get a positive we refer them over to our hep C clinic and I order lab work from our diagnostic lab team. Once we get the results, I schedule an initial visit with the patient. During that time, I talk with them and help educate them on hep C, or B, or whatever it may be. I touch briefly on therapy and let them know we have several options but that we're still putting the pieces of the puzzle together. I order a liver scan through Summit Medical which is non-invasive and which they do for free. Summit sends me a report which we use — along with the lab work — to determine the patient’s specific level of liver fibrosis. From there, I formulate a treatment plan based on the condition of the liver. If we discover that liver fibrosis has progressed, we may try a more aggressive form of therapy.

Aside from the treatment plan, what other factors do you take into consideration when treating a patient?

We have to consider the patient themselves. What social issues do they have going on? How long are we going to have access to them? For example, if they are only going to be around for 12 weeks, I may opt for shorter therapy so we can keep them in the program for the duration of their treatment.

What are some of the challenges in dealing with populations that are transient or that have social issues in the community?

A lot of our patients are in a drug treatment program for illicit drug use. If they just started a program, I know they’re going to be in the area for around six months. That presents a golden opportunity and we’re good to go at that point. If the patient demonstrates volatility — or they’re couch surfing — I may opt for shorter therapy because there's not a significant statistical difference between therapies as far as a cure rate is concerned. Clinically, there's some difference, but statistically none. At that point, I'm comfortable saying, “Let’s take the short route for this patient.” A lot of my patients have legal issues and we've had to contact the court and say, “I realize he (or she) is sentenced to ten years, but can we delay their reporting to prison long enough for us to finish therapy?” Typically, this is granted and as soon as the patient completes therapy we'll report to the court and they come and pick them up. It’s a win-win for everyone.

You supervise medical interns at the Clinic that you recruit from UGA’s School of Pharmacy? How does that work?

The Clinic fulfills a student’s elective hours for a semester during which they'll volunteer at the Clinic while I’m in the Clinic. I train them to do patient work-ups and from there we discuss treatment plans and follow up with various treatment protocols. Students also conduct research under my supervision and we present findings at various conferences. A notable piece of research we conducted was presented at the American Health System pharmacist conference in Anaheim [California] last summer where we looked at the relationship between a hep C cure and the A-1c of diabetic patients in patients who had both diseases at the same time. We drew some clinically significant conclusions and had two patients whose A-1c improved dramatically. Supporting our data were pre- and post-survey results that showed patients perceived a significant improvement in their quality of life following treatment. We presented a scientific poster highlighting our research which is now hanging on the wall at the School of Pharmacy. We’re very proud of that research.

What is something about free clinics (like AWC) that the general public might be surprised to learn if they weren't actually there to witness it?

How incredibly smart most of our patients are. They're very intelligent. Sure, a lot of them have made mistakes in their lives. But a lot of them have health issues that are hanging over them, keeping them from moving forward. The negatives start piling up until they hit rock bottom. Patients that we see are trying to get their lives back together. They understand their problems and want to be better, to do better. We have to help them. By providing treatment and a cure, the positives add up and carry over into other aspects of the patient's life, not just health-wise, but mental health-wise. It gives patients a sense of hope and opportunity. That’s a powerful incentive to keep them coming back to the Clinic.

What do you believe contributes to the success of Athens Wellness Clinic?

The staff. I've never seen a more committed group of people. They don’t report to work with the mentality that “it’s just a job.” Their soul is in that place. They believe in what they’re doing. They believe in treating people who are disadvantaged. They see first-hand how bad of shape many of their patients are in and how they’ve been ignored and kicked to the side by traditional healthcare programs. They don't make distinctions between traditional healthcare patients and Clinic patients. To the staff at AWC, all patients are our brothers and sisters and we have to do something about those in our “family” who don’t have access to adequate healthcare. At AWC, we do what we have to do in order to take care of the uninsured members in our community because our society is only as healthy as our sickest person.

Now for a few fun questions. What are some of your hobbies?

I keep honey bees. I just harvested some honey last weekend. A fat one got into my hood and stung me! I also like to bake breads, not cakes, but bread, like bagels. I also brew beer and play on a bocce ball team. Bees, bagels, beer, and bocce ball!

If you had to pick a favorite food, what would it be?

That’s tough. If I had to choose, fish and chips . . . from the Royal Peasant. So good!

What is a fun fact people may not know about you?

I was a sheriff’s deputy in Athens-Clarke County under Jerry Massey for 13 years. That job has helped me in more ways than you can imagine in working with the types of patients we get at the Clinic.