A retired physician’s assistant with a strong desire to give back found her way to contribute to Sachse and the surrounding community.

Barbara Jacinto — who operates His Gracious Hands with her husband Tony — runs a no-cost medical clinic from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursdays at 5 Loaves Food Pantry, located at 4401 Williford Road. Previously, the clinic had been located at the First Baptist Church, now the Cross Church, in Wylie.

The clinic began offering weekly service Aug. 4.

All care is available for free with the exception of blood work, which is done for a minimal cost, said Jacinto. Part of its free services are for acute care, such as a cold, and chronic care, such as high cholesterol.

Additionally, the clinic will cover the first $40 of any medication expenses, Jacinto said, and works with Saint Vincent de Paul to cover any extra costs. “I know it’s horrible when you are sick and you are unable to afford care,” Jacinto said. “It’s really stressful, especially for elderly people who may be on a fixed income.”

Her main goal remains on using the gifts God gave her to help people, she added.

For the past one-and-a-half years, the clinic has been located at the Sachse nonprofit, but it was only offered two times a month — one Tuesday and one Saturday — prior to Jacinto’s “retirement.” With a little more free time, she is able to give several Thursday nights each month to aiding local residents in need of lower cost health care.

Beyond the affordable treatment, the clinic has successfully networked with local schools and pharmacies. Schools are able to direct students in need to the clinic, while the pharmacies work with the clinic to provide medicine at a lower cost.

“Some of the offices around will send patients without insurance toward us,” Jacinto said. 

For the full story, see the Sept. 8 issue of The Sachse News.