Ross Gallabrese HEALTH CENTER — Ray Scurry, right, has his blood pressure taken by Michael Hauber, nurse manager at the Ohio Valley Health Center.

STEUBENVILLE — Helping people who might have fallen through the cracks is one of the many important goals of the Ohio Valley Health Center.

And for that, Ray Scurry is a thankful man.

The 55-year-old Steubenville resident had operated Heavenly Rides, what was then the largest cab service in the Steubenville area, for about 15 years — until 2022, when he said he developed complications from colon cancer, which led to fluctuating blood sugar and blood pressure that caused him to temporarily lose his sight while driving.

His truck ended up in the creek along Sinclair Avenue, and he would have to walk away from driving as a professional.

Scurry had been a patient at the health center when it was at its original Fourth Street location and when it was known as the Fourth Street Health Center.

“I was just falling in between the cracks,” Scurry explained. “I was making too much money to be able to get health insurance, but I wasn’t able to pay for the medical insurance as well as being able to pay my other bills as well.”

He had successful surgery at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center, Scurry said, during which about half of his colon was removed. Doctors told him they think they got all of the cancer.

“Once a patient is diagnosed with that kind of disease, we can’t manage that,” said Ann Quillen, the health center’s executive director. “They have to go to a specialist for that. But we manage things like diabetes and hypertension while they are going through the treatment if that’s what needed, so we can walk alongside them through that and make sure they get all of their medications.”

That is in keeping with the health center’s mission — to provide high-quality care to uninsured and underinsured residents of the area.

“They kept a binder for all of the doctors while I was going through all of that,” Scurry said. “Diann Schmitt (the center’s former director and a volunteer provider there) stayed in the loop with a lot of that and kept me going.”

When Scurry became sick another time, he didn’t return for help right away.

“I think there for a while when I had fallen through the cracks again and didn’t have insurance, instead of coming here directly, I took a hiatus from doctors. Now, they told me I was on the verge of having a stroke or a heart attack. Missing things and trying to do things on my own, so to speak, wasn’t good. But they still showed me the respect and the love and are getting me back on track now.”

That includes seeing Dr. Charn Nandra, a cardiologist and the center’s medical director. Scurry also has had lab work, an echocardiogram, an EKG and received medications — especially insulin, Quillen said.

Making sure patients have access to the medications they need is critical, she added.

“That’s one of the biggest services we offer — the prescription assistance programs, where we can secure the best types of medication,” Quillen said. “That’s all a part of the more than $500,000 in free medication that we dispense. That’s included in the work that we make happen for our patients.”

Last year, the center provided free health care with a total value of $1,755,957 — including the $531,853 in prescriptions.

“One of the main goals we try to do for our patients is that when they come in to visit us, we want them to have that exam,” Quillen continued. “That’s the point of care — so Ray has the exam, he has the labs and the diagnostic care that could be given at the visit. We want them to walk out of that door with the medications they need.”

Having that level of care is important on many levels.

“That takes a lot of stress off a person when they’re able to do that,” Scurry said. “Think about all of the people who walk out of the emergency room not knowing how they are going to pay for their prescriptions, and the thought is, ‘How am I going to make it without it? What’s my blood sugar going to be if I don’t get it?'”

“That’s a high stress level that puts on a person,” he continued. “That drives your blood pressure up and causes all of the other effects. But when you leave here, they make sure you have what you need.”

Patients at the center generally have difficult decisions to make about many things in their lives. Relieving the stress that surrounds the costs of health care and medication makes a difference in their lives.

“When people get here, they are making a choice between buying their medication, purchasing food or paying their rent or their electric bill,” Quillen said. “Those are real choices that patients need to make. Most of us can’t appreciate that. We can’t begin to understand that, but it is the reality for our patients. Here, they don’t have to worry about how they are going to get their medication. It’s a big relief, a stress relief.”

The center also helps with nutrition — providing fruits and vegetables and offering food preparation tips. Quillen said the center participates with FARMacy West Virginia, a program that allows patients to obtain between $25 and $30 worth of fresh fruits and vegetables each week in a farmers market-like setting. She added it also works with Urban Mission Ministries to obtain food boxes for patients in the Free to Be Healthy program.

Scurry, who said his vision was improving, has become one of the health center’s biggest ambassadors.

“Word of mouth is the best referral system,” he said.

“I think word of mouth is the best way,” Quillen added. “How many times have you heard us say we are the best kept secret in the Ohio Valley? I think people have heard about us, but until they need us, it just doesn’t register. But then we have people like Ray, who is a walking testimony to the care that we have been able to provide him. What more can you say?”

“Ray has a shiny personality,” she continued. “His spirit is in itself contagious — he is a walking billboard for us. There’s nothing better than having someone talk about the great care and the great people here. We don’t do everything perfectly, but to see Ray sitting here now — he could have had a very different ending.”

The health center is able to continue its work thanks to a dedicated staff of volunteer medical providers. Funding comes from grants and community support. Its biggest fundraiser of the year — the annual gala — is set for April 26 at the St. Florian Event Center in Wintersville. This year’s theme is “A Roaring 20 Years of Hope, Health and Healing.” Chairs for the gala are the Judy family of Richmond — Mark; his wife, Gina; and their daughters Kimberly Sherretts and Stephanie Presutti, longtime supporters of the health center.

The cocktail hour begins at 5 p.m. Tickets are $65 each. For information or to order tickets, visit ovhealthcenter.org.

“One thing about this place is that you are just not a number here — you are actually a person,” said Scurry, whose family includes sons Aaron and Lawrance and daughter Raelin. “They really show that compassion and love for each person who comes through here. That’s something I love.”