VIDALIA &045;&045; Hurricane evacuees in Concordia Parish can get medical treatment free at a new clinic.

The clinic, located on the first floor of the Concordia Parish Courthouse, has been open from 5 to 7 p.m. since Wednesday. The clinic will expand its hours Monday, when Dr. John Everett.

In her spare time from her nursing job at Natchez Regional Medical Center, Grace Woods has helped set up the clinic.

&uot;There was no Red Cross coverage in three parishes over here, and there was a dire need,&uot; Woods said. &uot;Nobody wants to take their last dollars and use them on an emergency room visit.&uot;

Riverland Medical Center has helped provide supplies for the clinic. Everett is bringing a nurse and supplies with him, Woods said.

Catholic Charities, which helped get Everett to come to the Miss-Lou, is working with Red Cross to get transportation from shelters to the clinic and to Riverland Medical Center for any work the clinic can’t provide.

The clinic will probably only be open for a couple weeks until Sicily Island Medical Center can open a clinic in Ferriday next to Riverland, Woods said.

&uot;This will hopefully be an effective but temporary situation to help these people,&uot; Woods said.

James Eubanks, an evacuee from New Orleans, came in Thursday evening because of a toothache. His godmother Gladys Godchaux said the clinic was a blessing.

&uot;It’s great that people can come here and get help,&uot; Godchaux said. &uot;They’re servicing a lot of people here.&uot;

Evelyn Steiner, a nurse practictioner, was working with Woods at First Baptist Church helping attend to evacuees’ health needs before the clinic started up.

&uot;She knew I was recently retired and had time to do it,&uot; Steiner said. &uot;We were already seeing after the needs of patients in the shelter, so this was a natural evolution from that.&uot;