Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Health Center Officially Dedicated

On a bright, hot Sunday afternoon, the next step in health care was taken for the people in Nevada County.

More than 100 area residents gathered at the site of the new St. Michael Health Care Center, for the dedication and ribbon cutting ceremonies, Sunday, July 10.

Don Beeler, CEO of the organization, told those present this represents the next step in the journey which began in Sept. 1996.

In March 1997, he said, an announcement was made concerning plans to locate a clinic in Prescott, with ground broken in late June 1997.

"It's been a wonderful journey for us," Beeler said. "But it's the beginning of an even longer journey as we support the medical needs of the community. Today also marks the official welcoming to Prescott and Nevada County of Dr. Alan and Timi Fox.

Prescott Mayor Howard Taylor followed Beeler, saying the clinic is the fulfillment of a dream he had when he became mayor.

This project, though, was not a one-man operation, he said, but took the cooperation of many people. The community leaders got together and never gave up on getting such a facility, and through working with the Southern Clinic, the sisters and staff of St. Michael and the Sisters of Charity, along with Arkansas Blue Cross/Blue Shield and Cooper's Design and Construction Co., the dream is now a reality.

Beeler, he said, is a super nice guy who put together a great staff for the clinic.

Next up to speak was Chandler Russ, executive director of the Prescott-Nevada County Economic Development Office. The project, he said, began with Firestone and Potlatch and the area needing to meet the medical needs of industry.

Two other health care providers were approached before the city's representation went to the Sisters of Charity. The other two, he said, were more interested in making money than providing adequate health care, and wanted to know how this would be financially possible for them, finally saying such a venture wasn't in their best fiscal interest.

However, he said, money was the last thing the Sisters were worried about. "They looked at providing service to the area's citizens. It's been wonderful working with people who are community minded, care about health care and providing services.

State Sen. Mike Ross said his first experience with St. Michael wasn't a pleasant one, as he was blue and small at the time he was born at St. Michael Hospital in Texarkana.

A year ago, he said, he visited with Alan and Timi (Hooker) Fox, giving them the pitch about moving to Prescott. "She made it easy being from here," Ross said.

"Without the efforts of the mayor and council, this may not have been built," he said. "This investment shows St. Michael's is committed to Prescott and Nevada County. I'm excited about the services they will be providing."

Dr. Fox is originally from Marshall, Texas. He received seven scholarships for college, and wound up attending Stephen F. Austin University. There, he earned a bachelor's degree in Biology, with minors in chemistry and business.

After Stephen F. Austin, Fox went to the University of Texas at San Antonio for his medical degree.

The last four years he and his wife have been at Chapel Hill, North Carolina where he has been at Duke University in the family residency program.

He said the clinic is a beautiful facility and the affiliation between he, Timi and the Sisters of Charity only made sense. All have the same beliefs and goals, he said.

"St. Michael gives back to the community. They help people. We have the same values, faith and hope. I believe in primary care."

Doctors, he said, should know their patients, their families, their histories, what medication they take and the problems they have to effectively be able to treat them.

People have a right to the best primary medical care they can get to keep them healthy and out of the hospital.

He also praised those involved in the project for the efforts they put in, saying this is a great accomplishment "a crown jewel."

The clinic, he said, has a state of the art computer system, which has taken considerable time to get up and running, but the work on the system isn't finished yet.

Dr. Fox's wife, Timi, is a Prescott native and a registered nurse. She has been working in the intensive care setting the last three years. She will attend the family nurse practitioner program at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock.

While Sister Mary Damian Murphy was giving a reflective blessing to the crowd, Father John Kerr, along with Beeler, Taylor and Bro. Gene Cloer, went inside where the Father blessed the building with holy water.

The center officially opened for business Monday, July 13. It offers complete primary care services, including pediatric health, women's health, accidents, illness care, prevention and occupational medicine.

The clinic's new phone number is 887-8001.

X-Ray and lab testing are also available on site.

The clinic's hours are from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Saturdays.