JASPER – A $4,300 grant from the Alabama Power Foundation will help buy medicine and provide lab work at a new health center for uninsured residents of Walker County.

The Hope Clinic, run by volunteer doctors and nurses, will provide free health care services for residents without Medicare, Medicaid, veterans’ benefits or medical insurance. It will open Jan. 31, 2006 in Jasper.

“This clinic is for those who fall through the cracks,” said Linda Murphy, executive director of the clinic.

The $4,300 grant from Alabama Power, she said, “is tremendous. We’re going to have to buy some medications” not covered by grants from pharmaceutical companies.

“The (Hope Clinic) board voted last month not to charge patients for lab work. That alone could cost an estimated $3,000 to $4,000 a year,” Murphy said. “It’s a big expense we didn’t foresee in the beginning. The grant Alabama Power provided will go toward buying medicine and paying for lab work.”

Grant sponsor Ann Wade is manager of Alabama Power’s Jasper and Carbon Hill business offices, and serves on the board of the Hope Clinic.

“The people this will help are working people with jobs who can’t afford insurance, and don’t qualify for assistance programs,” Wade said. “It’s something we haven’t had in Walker County before. Alabama Power is pleased to contribute to this worthy endeavor for our citizens.”

The Walker Area Community Foundation, which will pass along Alabama Power’s $4,300 grant to the clinic, will match the contribution, according to Executive Director Carol Savage.

(Ann Wade will facilitate interviews and photo opportunities at 205-384-7311.)

The Alabama Power Foundation is one of the largest corporate foundations in the nation, supporting thousands of worthy projects throughout the state. The foundation’s mission is to improve the quality of life of Alabamians and to strengthen the communities in which they live. For more information about the Alabama Power Foundation, log on to www.alabamapowerfoundation.com.

Alabama Power, a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO), provides reliable, affordable electricity to more than 1.3 million customers across the state. For more information about Alabama Power, log on to www.alabamapower.com.