FAIRHOPE, Ala. — A local church-based health clinic that provides low-cost medical and dental services for the uninsured and underinsured, as well as counseling services for Baldwin County residents, will celebrate its grand opening this Thursday afternoon.

Festivities at The Hope Center, a nonprofit organization affiliated with and located at the campus of the Church on the Eastern Shore a few miles east of Fairhope, will include a ribbon-cutting with the Eastern Shore and Central Baldwin Chambers of Commerce and an awards ceremony for those who helped start the clinic.

“We opened our counseling services in September, our dental services in November, and our medical services last month,” said Jennifer Miles, the center’s director of development. “We are now ready to celebrate and have the community come out to see our facilities.”

The clinic is staffed by volunteer physicians, dentists, nurses, professional counselors and associated staff, said Miles, noting that two of the dentists — Drs. John Maddox and Roberto Pischeck — bring their entire staff to the clinic on the days they volunteer.

Other volunteer dentists include Drs. Jacob Baker, Chance McLemore, Jason Northcutt, Michael Nebrig and Sam Townsley; volunteer physicians at the clinic include Drs. Herbert Kinsey, Lynne Kirkland, Ben Schrubbe and Bo Stanford; and 10 volunteer counselors, including several licensed professional counselors, provide services there.

“Some people have been sick for months and are so relived to come in and see a dentist or physician,” said Dana Smith, the center’s clinical director. “Being sick involves your entire well-being, your ability to work and your relationships.”

Miles, Smith and Sara Parker, the center’s counseling director, are church employees, and the only paid staff affiliated with the clinic, Miles said.

Medical visit costs are on a sliding scale based on income, starting at $15, and dental visits are $35 for uninsured patients. Counseling is available to all, regardless of insurance status or income, Miles said.

Rates for counseling services are $40 per visit for a licensed counselor and $20 for other trained counselors.

The dental clinic is now open Friday and on some Wednesdays, with medical services provided Tuesday and some Wednesdays, and counseling services open Monday through Friday. All services are by appointment only.

“We plan to offer more days for each of our services as we grow and as more professionals volunteer,” said Miles. “Thomas Hospital has partnered with us for radiology and lab services that allow us to reduce the cost that we pass on to our patients.”

Miles said that Doug Garner, Thomas Hospital vice president, Art Goodson, hospital lab director, and Kathy Linam, hospital director of radiology services, were all instrumental in establishing the partnership.

According to The Hope Center, Baldwin County has the second highest uninsured rate in the state with more than 20 percent of its residents lacking coverage. The center also cited U.S. Census data that more than 30,000 county residents do not have any medical insurance.

The clinic’s Web site states that the center, “a new Christ-centered ministry, will help meet the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of our neighbors. The center is an outgrowth of of the Church on the Eastern Shore and is designed to be a network of care for people throughout Baldwin County. Our mission is to meet people’s needs and to share the life-giving message of hope in Christ.”

Miles said there is no faith-based or other religious requirement to receive services, and that the clinic has served upwards of 300 people since opening last fall.

“We want to thank everyone who made The Hope Center a reality,” Miles said. “Lowes Home Improvement Warehouse of Daphne selected us at its 2009 Heroes Project. They made the renovation of our modular building possible by donating supplies and labor. Our thanks go out to Nicki Benton, Lowe’s general manager, for this wonderful donation.”

The Hope Center’s grand opening will occur from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 25, on the campus of the Church on the Eastern Shore located near the intersection of Highway 181 and County Road 104 a few miles east of Fairhope.

In addition to the ribbon-cutting and awards ceremony, tours for the public will be offered, according to a clinic news release.

For more information, contact the The Hope Center at 445-2273, or visit its Web site at www.findhopenow.net.