Health center marks opening of new clinic

By Hector Gutierrez, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published February 6, 2009 at 12:05 a.m.

Text size

Photo by Dennis Schroeder © The Rocky

Porsia Carter, right, a billing manager for the Inner City Health Center, greets co-founder Dr. Robert Williams, center, at the grand opening of the new clinic at 3800 York St. in Denver.

More Local News

Map my news

Dr. Robert Williams recalled when his dream of opening a medical clinic for Denver's needy population in Five Points was in danger of evaporating before his eyes.

Williams had found a building in the 3400 block of Downing Street that fit his needs. But someone had other plans for the building.

"They're going to convert this into a massage parlor," Williams remembered telling a colleague 25 years ago.

Williams made sure that didn't happen, and his clinic was born. Since then, a half-million of the city's working poor, uninsured and underinsured have used the services of the Inner City Health Center.

On Thursday, Williams said he has watched his dream evolve into a 21st-century medical clinic.

Supporters also have reached their goal of raising $5 million to support the nonprofit health center, said Kraig Burleson, the clinic's chief executive officer.

Williams and health center co-founder Dr. Duane Claassen joined more than 100 supporters Thursday for the official opening of a larger and better-equipped Inner City Health Center, which has relocated from Five Points to 3800 York St.

The new 9,489-square-foot health center has 18 exam rooms compared with 10 at the Downing Street location. There are six dental chairs, double the number at the old clinic.

And the clinic's two full-time doctors and two full-time nurse practioners will have their own offices.

Marjanne Claassen said her husband's office at his private practice on Denver's west side falls short of the amenities provided for the physicians - full- time and volunteer - at the new health center.

"It is not as nice as this," she told her husband as the couple toured the clinic.

Duane Claassen and Williams came up with the idea for the clinic after they met at a physicians conference in New Orleans. At the time, Williams was caring for poor rural patients in Mississippi.

Williams, now 67, retired about a year ago and has moved to Arkansas.

"This is God's thing, but each of you helped him do that, and that's the way he works, and he's used all of us in a marvelous way here," Williams told those at the opening Thursday.

Claassen, now 60, left the Inner City Health Center in December 2005 and returned to private practice.

"I'm so relieved to see it in such good hands," he said. "In a sense, I'm relieved to be done.

"I've done what I should. It's time to move on."

Subscribe to the Rocky Mountain News