The Cullman Lions Club gifted the Good Samaritan Health Clinic with a $10,000 donation as local cases of respiratory illnesses remain high.

Good Samaritan Executive Director Jolanda Hutson said the two organizations have partnered for nearly two decades in an effort to meet the needs of Cullman County residents living without health insurance.

“Most recently, members of the local Cullman Lions Club presented the clinic staff with a $10,000 donation to be used to further the Clinic’s mission of ‘delivering sustainable, long-term healthcare and all around wellness to the uninsured members of our community,’” Hutson said in an emailed statement to The Times.

With more than 12 percent of the county’s population living without healthcare coverage, according to the latest census information, these efforts can be particularly advantageous in the wake of local flu outbreaks. Alabama Urgent Care Nurse Practitioner Paula Creel told The Times in December 2023 how she began to see an unusually high number or patients with confirmed cases of the flu as people began attending holiday gatherings.

“We haven’t seen hardly any flu cases in about a year. It just hit all of a sudden. I don’t know if people were still kind of distancing some because of the pandemic and they have just suddenly gotten more comfortable with gathering. I also know people are finding it difficult to stay home and miss work when they are sick,” Creel said.

According to the latest data from the Alabama Department of Public Health, roughly 8 percent of patients visiting an emergency room during the week ending Jan. 6, reported symptoms of a respiratory virus.

Hutson said Good Samaritan has also seen increases in patients reporting flu-like illnesses but have taken slightly different measures for treatment. While she said the staff will refer patients to the emergency room in some situations, their main tactic is to advise patients on how to treat their illnesses without increasing the patient loads on crowded emergency departments. This typically includes hydrating, resting, using over-the-counter medications while quarantining for five days and being mindful to wash one’s hands in order to reduce the spread of the virus.

“We’ve had many patients call to cancel labs and appointments because of the sickness. If Good Samaritan were an urgent care, we would be full. If patients are in respiratory distress or feel they need to seek medical attention, we advise them to go to the ED. If patients know they’ve been exposed, there is no need to go to the ED. They simply need to treat by following our protocol,” Hutson said.