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Sign renaming the Helen M. Nickless Volunteer Clinic is unveiled at community picnic at the site at Center Avenue and Pine Road, Essexville.

Bob Sherman's Call on a Friend Boosts Bay Med Volunteer Clinic

Helen M. Nickless Volunteer Clinic Becoming a Model for the Nation

May 10, 2005       Leave a Comment
By: Dave Rogers

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Bob Sherman stopped by to see his old friend Art Nickless at his Arizona home recently.

Bob thanked Mr. Nickless for his generous gift of $500,000 for the Bay Medical Center Volunteer Clinic, bringing the total raised to $1.8 million of a $3.5million endowment goal.

They talked of health care and the fact that about 17,000 Bay County residents have no health insurance coverage and of the valuable resource the free clinic provides to those in need.

"I'll tell you what, Bob," said Mr. Nickless, in a conversation recounted by Mr. Sherman before a crowd in a picnic tent last Monday. "If your volunteers can raise another $1,500,000, I'll complete the goal with an additional half a million dollars. How does that sound?"



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It sounded like music to the ears of Mr. Sherman, a longtime supporter and former board chairman of Bay Medical Center.

The news started bells ringing for Guy T. Moulthrop and Mike Stodolak, co-chairmen of the "Neighbor Helping Neighbor" Campaign Steering Committee, Dr. Floyd Stevens, medical director of the clinic; William Bowen, chairman of the Bay Regional Medical Center Board, and Dennis Serafini, chairman of the Bay Medical Foundation.

"So, campaign volunteers, there's your challenge and thank you for your support," enthused Mr. Sherman at the microphone under the striped tent in the clinic parking lot.

When the covering on the front of the building at 1480 West Center Road, Essexville, was whisked away, it revealed that the clinic was capped with a bright new sign: "The Helen M. Nickless Volunteer Clinic."

Master of ceremonies Eric Jylha of WNEM-TV, Channel 5, led the cheers, echoed by former State senator Joel Gougeon, State Sen. James Barcia, D-Bay City, State Rep. Jeff Mayes, D-Bay City, and a representative of State Rep. Tim Moore, R-Gladwin.

The tribute to the late Mrs. Nickless was recognized by one of her three daughters, Janet Nickless Royce, saying: "I want to express my gratitude to the volunteers, staff, nurses, doctors and others who dedicate time and talents to make possible the attention to everyone in need."

Joyce Hardy, R.N., clinic director, said she just returned from a conference in Chicago drawing directors of seven such free clinics from across the country. She said the Bay County clinic initiative is the envy of other communities and is becoming a model for the nation.

"You've saved lives and made a difference," Mrs. Hardy told the volunteers. "The healing for patients includes high doses of dignity and respect. And you as volunteers have benefitted, too. They trust us, they thank us with tears in their eyes. I've never been prouder of this community."



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Bay Med CEO Bob Wright called the event "the kickoff of the future of the clinic, to insure the future of the clinic."

He noted the national dilemma that many Americans do not have health care. "At some point there will be health care for everyone on an equitable basis. But in Bay City this clinic is necessary for the forseeable future. Despite the volunteers, we do need $150,000 a year, depending upon the pharmaceuticals dispensed."

Mr. Wright said "this endowment is necessary so that we don't have to come back to the community everyyear for funding for clinic operations."

Favorable investment of the $3.5 million would bring in about $175,000 per year, according to Keith Markstrom, Bay Medical Center Foundation director, and that would be enough to provide a financial base for clinic operations.



Clinic administrators, fundraising campaign leaders and local government officials gather in front of the Bay Medical Volunteer Clinic sporting the new sign.

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Dave Rogers

Dave Rogers is a former editorial writer for the Bay City Times and a widely read,
respected journalist/writer in and around Bay City.
(Contact Dave Via Email at carraroe@aol.com)

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