By Becky Harris thecabin.net Copyright 2011 The Cabin. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Shelley Mehl, chairman of the Conway Interfaith Clinic board, told a crowd of supporters Thursday that the beginnings of the clinic in 2003 were “a calling of people of faith who wanted to act.”

There were about 17,000 people in Faulkner County living below the federal poverty level, and 23,000 residents did not have medical insurance.

According to Jerry Adams, who served as chairman of the board for its first five years, the clinic was designed “not to solve a problem but to meet a need.”

On Thursday, the clinic announced an $820,000 capital campaign that will complete the purchase of the United Services building at 1301 Museum Road and expand medical and dental care for Faulkner County residents who do not have insurance. 

Dr. Bart Throneberry, the clinic’s volunteer medical director, is chairman of the campaign.

“We hear statistics about health care that don’t have anything to do with touching or seeing a patient,” he said. “To me, medical care is seeing one patient at a time.

“It’s my job as medical director to assure that the people who come to this clinic are getting high quality care and are treated with  dignity.”

Mayor Tab Townsell said he is proud the city, through Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), has partnered with the Interfaith Clinic.

“As Christians, we are charged to take care of those who cannot take care of themselves,” Townsell said. “Thank you for the work you do.”

Kittie Aaron was at the helm of the clinic when it began. She has watched it grow, giving medical and dental services to 11,000 patients in six years. 

“Once we moved into our new place, I was amazed at what we had accomplished in our ‘trailer’,” she said.

The original modular building will be remodeled and repurposed as the dental clinic, a service that continues to grow.

Before the clinic opened, Aaron said, those without insurance waited until they were really sick before they went to the doctor.

“If they went to the doctor, they couldn’t afford to go back and probably couldn’t afford the medicine,” Aaron said. “If desperate, they might go to the emergency room. It’s not cheap to have high blood pressure. It’s not cheap to have diabetes.

“Sometimes, the decision is either to feed the children or buy the medicine. We can help. Children can go to sleep without a toothache or without an earache.

“It’s amazing everyday what we do.”

Mehl said the campaign has already reached about half its goal. 

Throneberry said the clinic was able to purchase the building at below-market price and a $134,000 CDBG grant provided funds to convert the former office building into a medical clinic.

The Charles A. Frueauff Foundation, Virco Corporation, Home Depot and others provided needed equipment and furnishings, and the medical component of the clinic moved into the expanded space in December.

As the result of a Blue and You grant for expansion of services, the medical clinic is now open four days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Aaron anticipates serving 1,000 additional patients this year.

“It’s all amazing to me,” Aaron said.

Those wishing to support the clinic may go to the clinic’s website at www.conwayinterfaithclinic.org

(Becky Harris can be reached at becky.harris@thecabin.net or 505-1234.)