ATLANTA—Georgia Baptist Health Care Ministry Foundation has donated $100,000 to Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation’s statewide tele-optometry vision program to serve uninsured and underinsured Georgia residents. Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation, Inc. launched the first-ever, nonprofit, statewide tele-optometry vision exam pilot in April 2022. Currently, the program has executed 202 tele-optometry clinics, working with more than 32 statewide partners serving 2,183 patients in 30 counties. According to Larry Wynn, executive director of the Georgia Baptist Health Care Ministry Foundation, “Meeting Georgians where they live and providing vital health services to those in need resonates with our mission.

"We anticipated a strong return in the quality of life for Georgians who receive vision services through this innovative state-of-the-art program delivered,” Wynn said.

“There is a shortage of optometrists and ophthalmologists in Georgia,” explained Beth Ehrhardt, executive director, Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation, Inc. “Today, 52 counties in Georgia have little to no vision services.” By leveraging cutting-edge technology, Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation coordinates services in areas of the state with no access to vision services, in partnership with Federally Qualified Health Centers and Public Health Departments throughout Georgia.

 
 (L to R) Craig Dale, board chair of the Georgia Baptist Health Care Ministry Foundation, Larry Wynn, executive director of the Georgia Baptist Health Care Ministry Foundation, Beth Ehrhardt, executive director of Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation, W. Thomas Hammond, Jr, executive director of Georgia Baptist Mission Board.
  
Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation, Inc. operates a full-service vision clinic in metro Atlanta (Chamblee). With strategic clinical partnerships, mobile clinic services, and their Vision Care for Children program, Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation covers all of Georgia, providing the full continuum of vision care—from vision screenings to full eye exams; the fitting of low- cost prescription glasses (made in-house) to funding support for cataract, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy surgeries; and referrals to needed vision specialists.