Jason Brackins

Physician’s Assistant Joins Clinic Staff

Jason BrackinsMountain Hope’s new physician’s assistant got his training in an unexpected place — the U.S. Coast Guard.

Jason Brackins, PA-C (the C stands for Certified) grew up in Gatlinburg. He loved the water and fishing, so after school he joined the Coast Guard. He trained as a nurse in 1998. The Coast Guard sent him to Physician’s Assistant school at Fort Sam Houston, TX from 2001 to 2003, and he’s worked as a PA since then. Recently he retired from the Coast Guard after 24 years’ service.

He and his wife, Karen, have two children approaching high school age, and they decided to return to Gatlinburg. The children, Liam, aged 13, and Avery (who is known as Q), aged 11, will attend Gatlinburg-Pittman High School when they are old enough.

Karen, a nurse, has volunteered at the Clinic during health fairs. “We’re happy to be back in East Tennessee and we’re blessed to be able to work in this Clinic,” Jason said. He feels the fit is so good that it was meant to be.

The patients are different from those he encountered in the Coast Guard. His clientele there was basically healthy. Those who developed serious illnesses were often discharged. “Mission ready, combat ready really was the goal,” Jason said.

Now he’s dealing with a mix of people, some healthy, some with chronic diseases. But it’s rewarding, and his patients at the Clinic are grateful for their treatment. Though adding a full-time PA to the Clinic staff means more patients can be treated every day, “we don’t want to sacrifice quality (care) for quantity,” he said.

His spare time is spent being a “Superdad,” he said, ferrying his children to sports practices and events. He has not lost his love of fishing, either. He’s giving up his saltwater fishing gear but intends to make the most of East Tennessee’s lakes and rivers.

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Kaitlyn Baker Sings for Hope

Kaitlyn Baker and her band, and Mountain Hope volunteers after the show.
Kaitlyn Baker and her band, and Mountain Hope volunteers after the show.

Rising country star Kaitlyn Baker’s concert at The Island in Pigeon Forge on Sept. 23 doubled as a fund-raiser for Mountain Hope Good Shepherd Clinic.

Our thanks go to the Pepper Palace, which sponsored the free event, and especially to Will Castro, who organized the details. We also wish to thank Ole Smoky Moonshine for providing the concert stage at their Barn at The Island and for promoting the concert. Our gratitude also goes to the generous Ms. Baker and her band, who supplied talent galore, and DJ Nightlife 305 of Nightlife Production, who hosted the event.

The concert was free to the public but a collection was taken for Mountain Hope. Helping in that effort were Clinic volunteers Ellen Crivellone, Lt. Eric Garner, George Hawkins, Baron Mayes, Missy Morris and Gregory Payne.

Our thanks go to everyone who contributed in any way, including Randy Bable, who edited the video; Alejandro Arismendy for photos, and give-away door prize donors: Speedwerkz, Dollywood, Rafting in the Smokies, Paula Deen’s Family Kitchens, Margaritaville, Aunt Bug’s Cabin Rentals, The Island, Ole Smoky Distillery, Governor’s Crossing Stadium 14 Cinema, Comedy Barn Theater and Hatfield & McCoy Dinner Theater.

We are indebted to the generosity of Pepper Palace and its CEO Craig Migawa and his family in making this event a benefit for the Clinic. As a non-profit that provides quality medical and dental care to Sevier County residents and employees with no health insurance, Mountain Hope depends on events such as this. Businesses that set up special events help us bridge the wide financial gap between the amount we charge our patients and the actual cost of each patient visit to the Clinic. Thank you to everyone involved.

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Magic and Mindreading Show to Benefit Mountain Hope

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Purchase Tickets Online Now.  Very Limited Seating Available.

Fancy a little magic, mindreading and mayhem during the week of Halloween?

Erik Dobell and Chris Collins of Impossibilities show in Gatlinburg are putting on a special benefit Shocktober show for Mountain Hope Good Shepherd Clinic on Monday, Oct. 24.  “A Night of Hope and Magic” will showcase the Shocktober theme the performers are using all month.

Dobell is a master mentalist, creating the illusion of reading minds. Collins is the magical comedian. “I do the mind reading, he does the magic,” Dobell said.

“A Night of Hope and Magic” will be an interactive show, like Impossibilities,  in which the two have been starring since the spring in Gatlinburg. But “A Night of Hope and Magic” will have a Halloween twist, based on the theme of a haunted manor the two have purchased, Dobell said.

It will differ from Impossibilities, Collins said. “It’s still a family show, but it’s going to have a little bit of an edge to it. It’s also going to be very spooky… but in a fun way.”

The last week in October is International Magic Week, Dobell said, and Houdini, the famous escape artist, died on Halloween, so this is a fitting time for the show.

Dobell said he came late to his interest in mentalism, though as a boy he had enjoyed such brainy heroes as Sherlock Holmes and Batman. In his late teens he taught himself some magic tricks, and at a magic show in Ohio bought a book on mentalism and the psychology behind it. That’s when he got hooked.

Collins has the ability to blend audience participation with original magic and humor. It’s earned him the title of Magical Comedian. His magic is fast paced,exciting and different. He’s a professional entertainer with more than 20 years’ experience, including Las Vegas, comedy clubs and corporate events.

The non-profit Mountain Hope Good Shepherd Clinic provides quality medical and dental care at a reasonable price to Sevier County residents and employees who lack health insurance. Fund-raisers such as the Shocktober show are an essential part of keeping costs low at the Clinic, said Ashley Burnette, Director of Fund Development.

Tickets for the Oct. 24 event are available on line here or by calling 865.774.7684 and asking for Ashley. The Iris Theater is at the Space Needle, 115 Historic Nature Trail, Gatlinburg. Tickets are also available from Mountain Hope Good Shepherd Clinic, 312 Prince Street, Sevierville.

 

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Texas Roadhouse Hosts Fundraiser for Mountain Hope

TXRHNightSEVIERVILLE — Wouldn’t it be wonderful to donate money to a good cause while eating a luscious steak or tasty ribs?

Diners at the Texas Roadhouse in Governor’s Crossing will do just that on Sept. 20. The restaurant is offering a Dine to Donate night that will benefit the non-profit Mountain Hope Good Shepherd Clinic.

Ten percent of eligible restaurant sales between 5 and 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 20 will go as a donation to Mountain Hope. For their meal to be eligible, guests must present a Dine to Donate flyer to their server while ordering. Flyers are available and can be printed off at Mountain Hope’s web site, www.mountainhope.org, or at the Clinic’s Facebook page. They are also available at the front desk of the Clinic at 312 Prince Street in Sevierville.

The Clinic provides quality medical and dental care at reasonable cost to Sevier County residents and employees who have no health insurance. “We are delighted that the Texas Roadhouse is supporting our efforts with this special evening,” said Clinic Fund Development Director Ashley Burnette. “Because we don’t charge our patients the full amount of what it costs us to treat them, we rely on businesses to help us bridge the gap. We applaud Texas Roadhouse’s community spirit.”

The Clinic has been serving the county’s uninsured since 1999, and currently has more than 21,000 people on its active roll.

Click here to download and print the flyer you’ll need to support Mountain Hope when you dine at Texas Roadhouse on Sept. 20: Fundraiser Flyer

Mountain Hope Gift Wrap Event at Ole Smokey Moonshine

Volunteers Needed to Wrap Gifts

Mountain Hope Gift Wrap Event at Ole Smokey MoonshineOnly about 115 shopping days to Christmas! (Written Aug. 31)

Now is the perfect time to schedule an activity that helps others while dovetailing perfectly with your Christmas shopping.

Mountain Hope Good Shepherd Clinic is looking for volunteers to wrap gifts for a couple of hours starting on Black Friday (November 25) and continuing every day through Christmas Eve. Proceeds will benefit the non-profit clinic, which serves Sevier County residents and employees with no health insurance.

The location Ole Smoky Barn, 131 The Island Drive in Pigeon Forge. Volunteers are asked to sign in for two-hour shifts (or longer) any time between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m.

“This is a great opportunity to turn a Christmas shopping outing into something more,” said Ashley Burnette, director of fund development for Mountain Hope. “Just think — you can shop in Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge, then wrap gifts for a couple of hours to benefit others. You could even wrap the gifts you just bought.”

What’s more, you can shop with a friend and then both of you can have fun wrapping together. Two volunteers at a time are needed at each location.

There’s another way you can help the project. You can donate Christmas wrapping paper, tape, scissors, bows, and ribbon by taking it to the Clinic at 312 Prince Street in Sevierville.

To sign up for your shift, contact Ashley at 774-7684 or by e-mail at aburnette@mountainhope.org.  You can also sign up for a shift online:

 

Shifts at the Ole Smokey Barn in Pigeon Forge at the Island

The Clinic provides quality medical and dental care at low cost to the county’s uninsured. It now has more than 21,000 patients of record. Fund-raisers such as the gift wrapping project are one way of bridging the gap between what patients can afford and the actual cost to the clinic of providing care.