At 4:30 a.m., Mona Barrow, 80, woke up and then got on a bus from Dunbar to Charleston for a chance to see an eye doctor.

She lives on a tight budget, and her Medicare and Social Security don’t cover the eye care she needs.

“You have all these responsibilities, and work all of your life,” she said. “And you still have to pay big money, just to be covered.”

On a Saturday last month, about 200 health care providers and other volunteers provided free medical, dental and vision care at an all-day event at West Virginia Health Right’s Charleston East End location.

Barrow was one of about 500 patients who showed up at the free clinic, many in the early morning hours. Alongside her waited a janitor without insurance who’s suffered tooth pain for more than a year, and a young woman with Medica

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