By KAREN JONES CODY
On June 26, 2018, a ribbon cutting and open house was held at UK June Buchanan Clinic to celebrate the extensive renovation of the facility and to reiterate how important the clinic and community have been — and will continue to be — to each other.
The June Buchanan Clinic originally opened in 1974, but it became part of the UK network in the spring of 2009. Larry Quillen, Executive Director of the North Fork Valley Community Health Center, explained that the Hindman clinic and also a clinic in Hazard are run by a partnership of UK Health Care and the North Fork Valley Community Health Board.
“At first we just took over the existing operation and have been serving patients without a whole lot being different,” Quillen related. “However, we were looking for ways to improve, and we were able to get a $1 million grant from the Health Resource Services Administration (HRSA) to do renovations and add an X-ray service.”
Renovations began in May 2017. The first priority was to replace the roof, which had some significant leaks. This was followed by a complete remodel of the medical wing, with new walls, flooring and lighting. Three new exam rooms were added, increasing the facility’s capacity for patients, and the registration and pharmacy areas were relocated and renovated to make everything more convenient.
“We’re still working on a few minor things, like putting signage in place and purchasing some exam tables,” Quillen noted, “But we thought we were far enough along in the process to hold our open house. “The board is very community minded, so it was a natural thing to honor former doctors for their work. We decided to also recognize some of Knott County’s ‘living legends’ as a way to connect us to the clinic’s past. The photographs on walls throughout the facility will serve as a little museum, since the community doesn’t have one, and this is only the beginning; we intend to keep adding photos to recognize people and events that make up the community’s history.”
Quillen praised Patient Relations Assistant Deb Gayheart for gathering photos and coordinating the open house presentation.
“We couldn’t have had this event without her,” Quillen said. “She took ownership of it and ran with it, and she worked tirelessly. It sure made my job a lot easier! We wanted to use this day to reintroduce residents to the clinic and let the community know they are welcome here. We also wanted to show off the X-ray room! Adding that feature is really important, and we think it will mean a lot to the community to be able to have an X-ray right here at home instead of being sent to another facility when one is needed.
“We have a really good staff,” Quillen shared, adding that for the first time, the clinic has three doctors, as well as a nurse practitioner. “Two of the doctors are actually from Knott County, Dr. Kenneth Slone and Dr. Fran Hughes; Dr. Kasi Marshall is originally from Carter County but lives at the Knott-Perry county line. Nurse Practitioner Polly Johnson is from Knott County also. Our pharmacist is local resident Janeille Fields. “In addition to medical, lab, X-ray and pharmacy services, we also have behavioral health and a dietician on certain days of the week,” Quillen said.
Quillen related that the clinic board is made up of local people, with Robert Young and Regina Neace currently representing Knott County.
“There are also two former board members who have been huge advocates for the clinic and the community,” Quillen said. “Rudean Adams and Bill Terry really pushed for work to get done. We had to wait a little while for the money to be available, but we’re really happy with the results.” “I’m not sure everyone realizes this, but we are a federally-funded community health center, and we never turn anyone away, regardless of their ability to pay. We offer services on a sliding scale based on income, and we accept all insurances.”
Last Tuesday, the clinic was crowded with patients and local residents, present and former members of the clinic board, and representatives of UK health care from Hindman, Hazard and Lexington. Richard Crowe, chairman of the clinic board, welcomed everyone and led a brief ceremony in which photos were revealed of Dr. Denzil Barker, Dr. Gene T. Watts, and Dr. Kenneth Slone. Crowe told a little about each man.
Dr. Barker, he said, was the son of a coal miner who became one of Mrs. Alice Lloyd’s favorite students. Barker went on to be an honor student at UK and Tulane. He earned his medical degree and was then deployed to the Philippines. After his time in service, he came back home to practice in fulfillment of his promise to Ms. Lloyd.
Dr. Watts was one of ten children who grew up in the Carr Creek area; he was encouraged by Ms. Lloyd to go into medicine. He went to UK, then medical school at the University of Louisville. He came home and established a private practice in Hindman, then later served Knott County by accepting a position at the clinic. For many years, Dr. Watts provided free school athletic physicals and helped out in the infirmary at Alice Lloyd College.
Crowe said Dr. Kenneth Slone adopted ALC’s “Purpose Road” philosophy as his own. He graduated from UK Medical School and established his practice at the clinic. His focus is on health maintenance. Dr. Slone also sees patients at the Knott County Health and Rehabilitation Center. He enjoys working with medical school students and says it is rewarding and keeps him current.
During the ceremony, Crowe also recognized Evelyn Mottram, whose photo is in one of the hallway displays. Ms. Mottram, originally from New York, studied to be a midwife. She helped with the birth of many babies, and was on-call ‘round the clock. When not serving as a midwife, she was Dr. Barker’s RN; he said he hired her because she could do so many things.
Also recognized with special photo unveiling were local authors James Still and Albert Stewart; Crowe read from a poem written by each author. The late Mike Mullins was remembered; as long-time director of Hindman Settlement School, he was dedicated to Hindman and Knott County. Most of the photographs were unveiled by relatives of those being honored, although some family members were unable to attend.
Everyone touring the halls of the clinic admired the beginnings of the little Knott County museum on the walls. A beautiful shadow box honors author Verna Mae Slone; it contains a doll she made, one of her books, and a pair of shoes she wore as a baby. Those who knew Dr. Barker loved the photos of him making his rounds by Jeep and preparing an injection in his office. One wall showcased a photo of Dr. Watts’ first microscope, purchased for him by Ms. Alice Lloyd. Many of the photographs inspired big smiles in the viewers, as they caught glimpses of the vibrant personalities of people they knew and loved.
Deb Gayheart summed up the day and the special additions to the clinic walls. “While we are trying to stay up-to-date with all the modern technologies in the medical world today, we also try to make sure we never outgrow the love and respect of our community,” she said. “Our goal is always to put the needs of others first — not only our patients, but also of our community as a whole. We go to local schools every year and provide free sports physicals. For those unable to attend, we have a health fair in the summer where we offer other health screenings along with the sports physicals for the kids. “Our Health Fair this year will be held July 21, 2018, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the clinic. We are hoping to have another successful one. Come out and join us –we have some surprises in store for the kids!”