MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – The Racepath Community Center got a new facility at the beginning of the year, and now they’re looking to expand the amount of services they can offer to people in the community.
Reverend William Gause is the president of Phoenix Renaissance, who operates the community center. He said they met with the Chapin Foundation and the Friendship Medical Clinic this week to discuss bringing a clinic to the Racepath center.
“You got a lot of people that don’t have insurance. They don’t have Medicaid. They don’t have Medicare,” said Rev. Gause. He said they want to step in and help those people who may have fallen on hard times. “They may have been able, at that time, to pay for their medication, but now they’re struggling to pay for it. Some people do without it, which is a bad thing, so we want to be able to assist those people.”
Rev. Gause said they want to provide the opportunity for people to get screened for health problems like diabetes. The Friendship Medical Clinic, Chapin Foundation, and Racepath will be meeting finalizing the details of operating the clinic in the next two weeks. Rev. Gause said they are looking to get the clinic started as soon as possible, but it will certainly be up and running before the new year begins.
He said having a clinic has been on the list of things to do for a long time, but previously, their space wouldn’t allow for it. Now that they are in a bigger building, they are looking to provide the clinic for the community.
Racepath is also looking to help families who may have fallen on hard times by opening up a food pantry. Rev. Gause said as a community center, it’s part of their job to be of assistance to the people living there. “Sometimes people just need help getting by,” said Rev. Gause. “We’ve had a chance to review, and we have people that even come here looking for something to eat, so we decided to just press on it and get something done this time.”
The food pantry will be available on Sept. 8, and it will start as a trial process. They will open twice a month, and as it continues to grow, they will open it more often. If you’re interested in donating to the food pantry, you can send any items to 286 Sunset Dr. in Myrtle Beach.