November/December 2007

Reporter - Hope in Healthcare

A dedicated staff works hard to keep the Western Tidewater Free Clinic going strong despite a modest budget and location concerns.

By Kristen De Deyn Kirk

The rarest of things drove by the Western Tidewater Free Clinic a few months after it opened: A bus—Hampton Roads transit's number 71.

Godwin Boulevard, where the clinic is located in Suffolk, is a busy road, no doubt. There are mega chain stores, Sentara Obici Hospital, and lots of traffic, but like in many regions of Virginia, especially as you creep toward the western region of the state, there just aren't many public transportation busses.

April Knight, the clinic's executive director, is familiar with the limitations of public transportation and its effect on health services.

"It's a huge barrier to services for the poor and working class," she said. "It's the number one barrier to improving people's lives."

When Knight, who was part of the steering committee that recognized the need for a free clinic, searched for a location, a building in Suffolk was not her first choice. Ideally, it would be located in Windsor, the "center of the triangle," as Knight calls the town in the heart of Isle of Wight. Then, at least it would be centrally located for most of the population it serves, which includes people in the cities of Suffolk and Franklin and Isle of Wight and Southampton counties.

Knight lives in Courtland, and she rattles off town names many Hampton Roadsters don't know. Heard of Capron?

No?

Well, you're not alone. But it's in Virginia and part of Knight's service area. She knows it would be easier for folks in Capron, out in Southampton County, to reach her—and dozens of doctors who offer their services free two evening's a week—if the clinic were in Windsor.

Knight tried to find a Windsor location, but she couldn't find anything there or nearby at a good price. The building she's in now was available for a steal. She doesn't say how much, but they're renting and were granted permission to alter the building however they'd like. Plus, she's thinking of the location as temporary.

For the rest of this article, see the November/December issue of Hampton Roads Magazine, currently available on newsstands.