KNOXVILLE, TN (Story courtesy of WVLT) – Knox Area Rescue Ministries is now offering more services through their care clinic.

KARM says it will be focusing in on the Mission District, helping the population of unhoused individuals.

“It’s going to service almost a hotspot, you know, folks around this area need care in the evenings,” Andrew Church with KARM said.

The clinic will offer primary care, acute and chronic care services, lab work and prescription medicine. This clinic has been open for years, but a new partnership with Summit Medical Group helped it grow.

“Most 911 calls or most needs are are in the evenings, so Summit Medical Group will be able to address those needs in real time, in the moment right here at KARM,” Church said.

This clinic benefits more than just the Mission District. People across the city will also feel its effects.

“It helps the emergency room by not loading the emergency room at hospitals up with people who do need to see a doctor, but are not having an emergency,” Jerry Harnish with Global Medical Response said. “It frees up ambulances and it’s also better healthcare for the people that live in the Mission District.”

Harnish is the director of operation with Global Medical Response. He said they respond to roughly 400 to 600 calls per month in the area, but they are not always for emergencies.

“Generally these are people that do need medical care, it’s just that, calling 911 and getting an ambulance and a trip to the emergency room is not the best way to do it,” Harnish said.

With the clinic now seeing patients, AMR believes this could mean less calls for non-emergencies in the area.

“That means less calls to 911, or emergency ambulances that are not tied up with someone with a lesser condition and are therefore available for emergencies,” Harnish said.

If AMR is dispatched to the area, they can refer the patients back to the clinic instead of an emergency room.

“The ability for AMR to even get here and see someone and then be able to refer them instead of transporting them to the hospital, but refer them to the clinic, that’s a big deal,” Church said. “Being able to offer that on site for chronic and in crisis response is a big deal for a lot of our guests.”