Megan Crum and Alan Lo have a laugh before the first course is served at the Signature Sensationsfundraiser for the Jean B. Purvis Community Health Center, on Saturday afternoon. Shane Potter/Butler Eagle

The event at the Butler Country Club on Saturday was serving up more than exotic dishes such as Italian anitpesto skewer with cream balsamic drizzle paired with fancy wines with names like Caviar Sparkling Blanc de Blancs.

Diners at the 11th annual Signature Sensations raised their glasses in support of the Jean B. Purvis Community Health Center while opening their wallets to care for their neighbors in need.

Kim Reamer, center executive director, reminded the hungry crowd why they were there. The nonprofit health center provides medical, dental, mental health and vision care to patients in Butler and surrounding counties who do not have health insurance, as well as for those who do have insurance but cannot afford the co-pay.

Larry Hibbs, president of the community health center, said that there are a lot of people who don’t qualify for medical insurance. They work part time, but their salaries are just above the threshold to get assistance.

“Or they’ve lost their job. They’re 50 years old, and nobody else wants to hire them. But they are looking for work, and they don’t have health insurance,” he said.

Many of the health center’s patients are doing everything right. They have jobs, and they’re working — hard. But they can’t get coverage.

That’s when the volunteers — doctors, specialists, nurses and support staff — at Jean B. Purvis Community Health Center step in.

The center never sends out a bill for its services. In the past year alone, the center helped 900 patients with a total of 2,000 services — patients who would otherwise slip through the cracks.

The Butler Eagle has long supported the work of the community health center, and applaud the efforts of county residents who step up to ensure their neighbors have the care they need.

You don’t have to wait until 2023’s Signature Solutions on Nov. 4 to help.

The center offers “adopt-a-patient” programs that let people give what fits their budgets — ranging from $25 for a flu shot to $483 for a single patient’s care for a year.

To find out more about the Jean B. Purvis Community Health Center and what it does — and what you can do — go to butlerhealthclinic.org.

—LZ