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HISTORY OF ST. MARTIN'S HEALTHCARE
St. Martin’s Healthcare has been a wonderful blessing for DeKalb County. Originally conceived as a Christian outreach healthcare ministry by St. Joseph Catholic Church in Garrett, SMHC opened its doors to the uninsured in October 2005. Striving to follow Christ’s commands in the gospel of Matthew to "love God as He first loved us and to love others as we love ourselves", SMHC’s story is one of love, need, hope, compassion, commitment, collaboration and action.
Father Thom Lombardi, pastor at the time of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Garrett, felt there was a third need in addition to the Clothes Closet and Soup Kitchen ran by the church. He called a meeting of community healthcare professionals in January 2005 to explore the feasibility of a free health clinic. As a result Dr. Stanley Greenberg was appointed as the medical director, Tammy Stafford as the executive director and a volunteer board. St. Martin’s Healthcare opened its doors on Monday October 10, 2005 and cared for 18 patients. An opportunity to buy the building from DeKalb Health, coupled with a timely major donor gift, allowed SMHC to purchase the current facility in 2007. And the rest is history, as they say!
BREAKING GROUND
Under the medical direction of Dr. Stanley Greenberg, the clinic initially was open sixteen to twenty hours per week. As the number of patient visits substantially increased as a result of tough economic times, the clinic expanded its hours of service. In July 2007, an on-site dental suite opened to provide preventative services in addition to offering extractions and restorations. An opportunity to buy the building from DeKalb Health, coupled with a timely major donor gift, allowed SMHC to purchase our current facility in 2008. In 2010 the clinic increased its weekly open hours to 30-35 to care for those without health insurance. Limited vision service began in June 2011, targeting the diabetic population. A weekly general surgery clinic and a monthly pulmonary clinic were also added.
THE FIRE
A fire on Good Friday 2013 caused severe interior building damage, resulting in a total loss of contents in the basement and severe smoke damage throughout the building. Our building was essentially gutted to its cement beams and steel structure. Within ten days of the fire, the clinic was set up in a temporary location at DeKalb Health. This allowed patient care to continue uninterrupted for 8 months. With the help of insurance and a great team of contractors and volunteers, the clinic re-opened in late 2013 with an all new look and feel. As one patient marveled, "I cannot imagine a nicer, more up to date clinic anywhere".
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