St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic opens 10th site

The mobile medical clinic now serves the Pigeon Forge community at a ‘new oasis’: Holy Cross Church

By Gabrielle Nolan

Since its opening 10 years ago, the St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic continues to grow and expand its reach to the medically uninsured in East Tennessee.

On Sept. 11, the clinic celebrated a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its newest site in Pigeon Forge on the campus of Holy Cross Church.

Special guests in attendance included Bishop Mark Beckman, members of the Pigeon Forge Chamber of Commerce and the local sheriff’s office, the superintendent of Sevier County schools, representatives of Mountain Hope Good Shepherd Clinic, and other local officials.

The mobile medical clinic partnered with local organizations to bring other services to the site, such as a mobile shower trailer and mobile job van. Also near the clinic site is a local laundromat service.

“For the Pigeon Forge community, we have so many people that work but are unable to have insurance and unable to have a lot of the things that people take advantage of, like a warm shower,” said Brandy Dominguez, executive director of the Pigeon Forge Chamber of Commerce. “So, having these facilities available for their medical needs and their cleanliness needs is just a great resource to have right here in Pigeon Forge, right in the center where it’s so accessible to our community and those who are in need of these services.”

St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic executive director Martin Vargas said that the clinic can “turn any health-care desert into an oasis.”

“So, picture this: you can come here, do your laundry, drop your clothes off. We have a partner that Rebecca Pipkins on our team brought to us who provides mobile showers. So, you can come get a shower, they’ll give you a fresh set of clothes. Then you come to us for your primary-care appointment, then you can come right out the door there to the church and get your spiritual needs met, and when you’re done praying you can go out to the American Mobile Job van and get a job,” Mr. Vargas said.

He noted that the clinic graduates 15 percent of its patients a year.

“They’ve gone from uninsured to insured, and it’s absolutely amazing to walk that journey with them. It’s such a blessing,” he said.

Mr. Vargas shared that the Pigeon Forge clinic site was essential because some patients were traveling from Pigeon Forge to the Gatlinburg clinic to be seen, and the Gatlinburg clinic was reaching capacity with patients.

“So, this is a tremendous celebration today, 10 clinics in East Tennessee,” he said. “We serve a wide variety of people; every clinic’s different and unique, tailored to the community with volunteers from the community. And we have over 120 active volunteers, absolutely amazing.”

The St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic serves the communities of Knoxville, Athens, Decatur, Crab Orchard, Crossville, Gatlinburg, Helenwood, Rutledge, Washburn, and Pigeon Forge.

Ms. Pipkins, community outreach coordinator for St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic, helped facilitate the clinic’s 10th site opening.

“We do a lot of research in the community to make sure that we’re not overlapping services, but for this clinic in particular we already go to Gatlinburg, and we are busting at the seams in Gatlinburg,” she said. “We knew that we needed another site in Sevier County. We did look at a few other locations, but once we toured this location and met Father David Mary (Engo), it felt like home. It was just a natural fit. We immediately left the meeting knowing that this was going to be the place.”

Ms. Pipkins noted that Holy Cross Parish has been a huge asset with parishioners signing up to be volunteers for the clinic site.

“It’s such a gift to be able to provide these services for the uninsured when they feel like they have nowhere to go,” she remarked. “I’ve only been here two years, and the growth we’ve seen in two years has been amazing. I believe right when I started they had just opened two sites, and then we’ve opened two more since I’ve been here. It’s just been such a gift to be a part of that.”

Prior to the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Bishop Beckman led the crowd in prayer and blessed the mobile clinic with holy water. He also expressed gratitude to Sister Mary Lisa Renfer, RSM, medical director of the clinic.

“It is so good to see all of you here this morning… to see the volunteers, to see the staff, the doctors, the nurses, everybody reaching out to make sure that this is a place of healing here in Pigeon Forge. What a blessing this is. Sister Mary Lisa, thank you for everything that you’re doing here. We are grateful for you,” the bishop began.

“We’re going to ask the blessing of God upon this clinic and all who have the privilege of coming here, the privilege of working here, and we’re also going to ask the blessing of God upon our whole country and our world,” he continued.

“Lord God of all creation, Lord of every human person, we ask your grace to be poured forth upon this medical clinic, this 10th site opened here in Pigeon Forge,” Bishop Beckman prayed. “We ask your blessings upon all who will come to this place seeking healing. … May the Holy Spirit surround them, and may that Spirit touch all who assist them: doctors and nurses, all the staff and volunteers. We ask your blessings, Lord, upon this parish, its pastor, and all of its parishioners, indeed upon all of this community in Pigeon Forge, all of East Tennessee, and upon our nation… indeed, upon this whole world. Lord, bestow that peace in great abundance and that healing power. All of this we ask through Christ, our Lord. Amen.”

Father David Mary Engo, OFM, parochial administrator of Holy Cross Parish, spoke to the crowd following the blessing.

“It is my joy to welcome you here and to welcome St. Mary’s Clinic to be a part of our wonderful outreach to those in need in our neighborhood. I want to especially welcome Bishop as his first time as bishop to Holy Cross. You’ll come to learn that we are the best parish in the diocese as evidenced by our wonderful people,” he said to a laughing crowd.

The Franciscan priest recounted Matthew 25:35-40, where Jesus says, “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.”

“We have to remember that as we’re serving the needy of our community, we are also serving Christ,” Father Engo said. “It’s part of our life as Christians to be able to reach out to those who are in need, to those who are suffering, to those who maybe just even need a handshake and to be recognized as a human person and to give them their dignity. But it’s our mission as Christians to truly serve our Lord Jesus Christ in the poorest of the poor.”

He told the crowd that he had the honor of meeting St. Teresa of Calcutta many years ago.

“When she picked that first man up off the street, he said, ‘Why are you doing this for me?’ And she said, ‘because I love you.’ She said she didn’t hear the man say it—she heard Christ say to her, ‘Why are you doing this to me?’” Father Engo explained. “And although she was speaking to the homeless man, she was also speaking to Christ when she said, ‘because I love you.’”

“What we’re doing here is truly and really an act of love for God and our neighbor,” he continued. “We fulfill the two-fold commandment by our ability to offer something as simple as showers and offering people their dignity.”

Father Engo said that it was a great honor to have the St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic come to Holy Cross Parish and Pigeon Forge.

“I just would leave you with these simple words that our Lord used at the end of that parable when he said to them, ‘You did it to me.’ Mother Teresa would often lift up her hand when she was talking to somebody, and she was invited to serve the poor. She said, ‘Remember you did it to me,’ and she would poke them in the head. As you’re working, as you’re ministering, as we’re serving the need of our neighborhood, let us always remember, you did it to me. And we do it for love of Christ. Thank you all so much for being here. Thank you to all of our officials,” he said in closing.

Terry Aparicio, a parishioner at Holy Cross and a volunteer translator with the clinic, attended the special event.

“I’ve been with the clinic for over 10 years, and I love the work they do, because I see their compassion, their care. They go beyond what the people need. They do referrals if they cannot take care of their needs,” she said.

“I’m probably going to cry because we have so much poverty in East Tennessee, and it’s getting worse every day,” Mrs. Aparicio continued. “Offering services to people that have nowhere to go means a lot, because now they know that they have a place that is secure, that will respect them and honor them as a person and will heal their needs. That is amazing. It’s been the biggest blessing we’ve had here in 20 years at Holy Cross.”

She commented that she “harassed Father” about bringing the clinic to the parish.

“Father David Mary, he’s wonderful and is very pro-community. He was very open to the idea,” she said.

Father David Boettner, rector of the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in Knoxville, attended the ribbon-cutting.

“I’m just so grateful to the Sisters of Mercy from Alma for their support because without them, this couldn’t have ever come together,” he said. “We wouldn’t have had the organization or the medical directors, and so today is just one of those kind of crowning moments with their 10th site now, watching that growth and really just so many people who would be without medical care if it wasn’t for the clinic. It’s a real exciting day I think.”

Father Boettner was impressed by the community turnout and the partnerships of the clinic.

“It always makes my heart happy when I see great organizations partnering with each other and building those relationships so that we all together are doing a better job of reaching out and serving the poor,” he remarked.

For Bishop Beckman, this event marked the first time he stepped foot on the mobile medial clinic.

“The staff is incredible, the staff is absolutely tremendous,” he said. “Incredible human beings. And the turnout today was fantastic. Great local support here in Pigeon Forge, the local community, and the Holy Cross parishioners also, their presence.”

“The thing that I’m becoming very aware of is how needed health care is in East Tennessee and how many uninsured people there are,” the bishop continued. “I think it’s critical that we are present to help people with those basic human needs, and I love the fact that we are helping some of them to transition so they don’t have to use us anymore. Fifteen percent now are able to get back on insurance. … Until that should be universal, we’ll do our part.”

For more information on the clinic or to donate or schedule an appointment, visit SMLCares.com or call 865-212-5570.