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Articles Channel 4 (WSMV) news video segment on TNN Care cuts - 2/27/08
The following article by TIM GHIANNI was in the Tennessean on October 14, 2006. Clinic is good for this doctor's soul Tom Henderson says God led him to the corner of 21st Avenue North and Murphy Avenue so he could provide medical care to the working poor. "It is providence," he says, explaining his journey from a family practice in rural Missouri to help establish Faith Family Medical Clinic in Nashville's urban heart. "We lived in Dexter, Missouri. It had a great school system. It was a great community with a 50-bed hospital," says the 59-year-old Memphis native. "It was a good life, a typical small-town life. It was a great place to raise a family." But after the raising was done, the four children gone from the nest, "My wife, Linda, and I started seeking God's direction. ... I began to ask: "Am I supposed to stay here in this comfortable existence or seek another calling?"
A divine series of events provided the answer. Daughter Maryglyn lived in Nashville and her parents came here to help plan her wedding in 2000. Tom took some time out to catch up with old UT-Memphis med school pal Lanny Holmes, a physician at Southern Hills Hospital. "I told him, 'I'd kind of like to come here to Middle Tennessee to work part time with a clinic to help the underserved, and the rest of the time I'd like to travel,' " Henderson recalls. "He said, 'That's good,' but first he wanted me to meet David Gaw, an orthopedic surgeon with a heart of gold. David had been led by God to explore opening a clinic to serve the underserved working poor." Henderson learned a building had been donated, a board of directors established. The missing ingredient: a person of compassion, specifically Henderson, to serve as medical director. "I wandered into town and was faced with this chain of events. I asked 'Is this providence?' "Linda and I decided this was a calling, so we went back home and told my office staff and my partner I'd be coming here. We moved here in the spring of '01 to get the clinic up and running. It opened Oct. 8.'' The fifth birthday was celebrated this week. "As long as I keep my intellect and God approves," Henderson vows to stay at the clinic, where thousands have been served on a sliding, income-based scale of $10-$30 per visit. It took awhile for the needy to find this medical outpost. "We just had one patient the first day. A college student had anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder. She had no insurance. Her campus clinic had sent her here. By the time we were here four to six months, we were seeing maybe 12 a day. I continued to grouse about it and God heard me. Now we see 55 to 60 a day. I don't see everyone. I oversee the practice," says Henderson, whose staff consists of another doctor, three nurse practitioners and two physician's assistants. Volunteers come from throughout the medical community. Salve for the soul also is dispensed. "We spend a lot of time with our patients, because sometimes that is what they need most. We get into emotional, mental and spiritual issues as well. We frequently pray with our patients. Sometimes that's the best thing you can do for them. Sometimes that's the only thing you can do for them, they've messed up their lives so bad. ... I look at some of them and say, 'There but for the grace of God go I." Prayer isn't forced, and all faiths are welcome to seek help and to volunteer. A devout member of the Church of Christ, Henderson says the staff is "multidenominational, but we all are fundamental Christians. We believe Jesus is the Son of God and the Bible is God's message to us." He gazes at his surroundings. "I think God uses people and God is patient with people for years. "God was patient with me. I was never a great scholar. He stuck with me and I became a fairly decent physician." How you can help? "Faith Family Medical Clinic seeks to follow the biblical and historical commitment of people of faith to care for those in need who are sick," reads the mission statement of this medical practice that serves the working poor. The need for the clinic continues to grow, so medical director Dr. Tom Henderson outlines ways that those interested can help. "When I'm out speaking at a civic club, I tell them there are three things they can do to help us out," says Henderson. "No. 1: Pray for us. "No. 2: Send us patients. There are still people out there who don't know there's a place they can go for affordable health care. "No. 3: If you see fit to help us financially, that's great. What we charge our patients covers only 20 percent of our cost." Since opening in October 2001, there have been 15,030 total registered patients served on 46,601 visits. To find out more or to offer aid, you can call or visit the clinic at 326 21st Ave. N., 615-341-0808. The following article by Tim Chavez was in the Tennessean on Aug. 2, 2001. Clinic to turn back the clock on health care for uninsured working poor Nashville physicians David Gaw and Tom Henderson want to go back to a time before insurance companies invaded examining rooms. They want to return to the reason they went into medicine - to help people without first checking for insurance cards and then calling faceless bureaucrats for approval to do the right thing. And because of the generosity of several foundations and Baptist Hospital, the doctors and a growing number of physicians who feel the same way will turn back the health care clock. They'll open the Faith Family Medical Clinic in September at 21st Avenue North and Murphy Avenue, next to Charlotte Avenue. People without health insurance - but with jobs - will receive primary health care there. "They are only getting care with the emergency room," said Henderson, clinic medical director. "This is for people who cannot afford an office visit of $100. This is the place for continuing care." The new clinic wants the "working poor," people whose employers do not provide health insurance or whose jobs do not pay enough for them to afford coverage on their own. But they make too much to qualify for TennCare. Just bring a pay stub to the clinic, Henderson said. The annual income of a family with two children can be as high as $36,000 and still qualify for care - discounted to $5-$15 per visit. That's twice the poverty level for that family size, Henderson said. About 60,000 Nashvillians can be labeled "working poor," Gaw said. The clinic's annual budget will be $500,000. There are a lot of good clinics in Metro, Henderson said, but when they refer patients to specialists, they hit a brick wall. The Faith Family Medical Clinic is assembling a list of specialists who will take one free referral a month. The same is being done with hospitals for one free surgery a month. A roster of doctors and nurses is being compiled to keep the clinic open evenings and weekends. With benefactors like Baptist and the Frist Foundation behind the clinic, response has been good. "It has been gratifying to me the number of people wanting to give back to the community," Gaw said. "The majority of people involving themselves are doing so because of their faith." It has taken almost two years to put things in place. Dr. John Lamb, Dr. Jeff Whitfield and health care executive Charles N. Martin Jr. are also among the founders. Businessman Bill Youree assembled the business plan. Interviews are ongoing for paid staff positions. Volunteers are also needed. If interested, call Henderson at (615) 661-9059. Debby Koch of Baptist Hospital, which provided the clinic building for an annual lease of $1, calls the effort "a great opportunity we all have." She's right. Support the clinic with your volunteerism and donations. Help those helping themselves. :: website by icglink :: |
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