As I am finally retiring, I want to express my appreciation to the Belington Clinic’s patients for their support and our staff for their dedication over the years. When I made the decision to retire at the end of the year, I had completely forgotten that 2023 marked our 50th anniversary. It is certainly worth noting that the clinic is home grown.

When the last doctor retired, Belington found itself without in-town medical care. Seven Belington residents made it their business to find a solution. Because of their efforts, if our organization has any owners, they are the citizens of Barbour County.

The seven included a CPA, a jeweler, a building, supply clerk, a columnist for the Barbour Democrat, a lumber mill owner, a WV state Human Resources employee, and the manager of a hardware supply business. They worked out an agreement with Memorial General Hospital in Elkins to open a clinic in
Belington. The group created a corporation; obtained our 1903 schoolhouse building at auction with the local police chief doing the bidding. Memorial General provided some renovation funding and those seven became the first volunteer board of directors. When Memorial General closed in 1986, this same board made the decision to become an independent clinic and assume full financial responsibility. Their work certainly represented caring about community.

Yet another example of community initiative was in 1992, after the WV Board of Education endorsed the concept of school-based health centers, a committee was formed to develop a plan for submission to the county school board. This group consisted of PBHS educators, a counselor, parents, a pastor, the Barbour County Health Department director, and the clinic. After a lot of work over a year, the proposal was submitted to the school board which approved it after a public hearing. I remember driving into the PBHS parking lot for the hearing and seeing a huge number of cars. I was sure the proposal was dead, but the cars were for a basketball game. With grants from the state, the Benedum Foundation, a $10,000 gift from Davis Memorial Hospital, the project was on its way. Arthur Brandon, a lifetime educator who began his teaching career at the Lillian rural school, donated his home to be sold. The project then had the necessary funding. PBHS soon had West Virginia’s first free standing school-based health center which Ken Auvil had built at cost. Jimmy Harris made all the furniture at less than cost. More people coming together, more community.

It has now been many years since I doubled as the clinic administrator. As it should, Barbour Community Health has moved into the future. We are now joined with the Myers Clinic which has a rich history of its own and strengthened our organization. We are proud of the recent addition of mental health services. However, Barbour Community Health would not exist if it were not for those seven individuals and the work of the Belington Clinic over the years. I do want to leave our patients with this: We are local, not a major health care giant. It is our job to offer quality and service from the time someone calls, walks into reception, is evaluated by a nurse, is examined by a physician or other provider; and then receives appropriate follow-up. If your expectations are met or not met, let the administrator and the Board of Directors know. It is the only way we can objectively improve our services. This organization is yours; the Board consists of your neighbors, and they are your representatives.

Finally, to the patients who have followed with me over the last 45 years, it was a joy. I have had the pleasure of walking into those two exam rooms well over 100,000 times. I was never bored; often felt challenged; and almost always felt like I was with a friend. I will miss our conversations. I will miss the interaction with our staff, particularly those providers who cared so much about their patients. I will most certainly miss working with Judy who kept me on task and did so much for our patients. The best thing is, I will be able to spend more time with the most important person in my life, Kate, as well as these 25 beautiful grandchildren.

– Tom