Local ALS clinic receives $75,000 grant toward patient care

ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. (WJHL) – In 2017, the Gary E. Shealy Memorial ALS Clinic opened to help treat patients in the Tri-Cities area, saving them time and money from traveling out of the state for care.

“By having a clinic here, it prevents people from having to travel these really long distances and just decreases that burden of care,” said Courtney Andrews, who serves as the clinic coordinator.

In 2023, the Tennessee ALS Association received $1 million to help support patients and caregivers in the state. With that money, the association is giving back to ALS clinics across the state, and directly to patients and caregivers.

On Tuesday, the Memorial ALS clinic received $75,000 to improve the care of its patients. Andrews said the money helps recognize the work they have been doing for the last 7 years.

“We had some people that had the vision and then kind of built it from the group up,” Andrew said. “So to get this kind of recognition is really meaningful. It was super, super meaningful and it really does just kind of highlight, again, the importance of what we’re doing.”

Sarah Bratton, care coordinator for the Tennessee ALS Association, said the work the clinic does is meaningful, making them deserving of the grant.

“It is the only volunteer-run ALS clinic in the State of Tennessee,” said Bratton. “That’s why it means so much, these providers, these different disciplines, are giving their time to these families.”

Bratton and Andrews said their visions for the grant involve improving the already successful clinic.

“My hope is that they can expand the clinic,” said Bratton. “That they can do more, they can serve more families and can provide more for the families that are living with ALS.”

“One of the biggest things is just supporting our move to a full-day clinic,” said Andrews. The clinic operates from 12 to 4:30 p.m. on the third Friday of the month. “We’re going to be able to expand to a full day that will allow us to see almost double the patients per month, which is huge because we only meet once.”

Attending the grant presentation was Rex Garrison. Garrison has been a patient of the clinic since his diagnosis in 2022.

“My neurologist put us in contact with the ETSU clinic, and it’s been wonderful,” said Garrison. “It’s been nice to go to one place, see all the disciplines, and we’re building great relationships with everyone that we’ve seen.”

Garrison said the grant money will provide help for him and others living with the disease.

“I learned this afternoon that from true East Tennessee to Chattanooga, about half the patients of ALS are in this area,” said Garrison. “So we need more funds, we need more help.”

Information about the Gary E. Shealy Memorial ALS Clinic, located at 1000 Jason Witten Way in Elizabethton, can be found here.

The clinic is also putting together a team for the Tri-Cities Walk to Defeat ALS on April 27. Information about the walk can be found on the Walk To Defeat ALS website.