Philanthropy Today
Philanthropy Today
Manhattan Free Clinic on the GMCF Community Hour Show Episode - 251
We celebrate 20 years of Manhattan Free Clinic. Rick Hernandez joins us to reflect on milestones and momentum: a second clinic site inside the Flint Hills Community Accelerator, targeted grants that equipped modern exam rooms, and interactive patient education that sends videos and guides straight to your inbox. We talk about what it means to care for neighbors in a system defined by high deductibles and shifting coverage, and why preparing for newly uninsured patients is a responsibility the clinic won’t ignore. You’ll hear how a big band concert—the Thundering Cats—turns holiday music into direct support for the Manhattan Free Clinic and Shepherd’s Crossing, proving that community culture can move the needle on healthcare access.
We also step inside the accelerator’s unique model: childcare incubation, workforce placement, education, and medical services under one secure roof. That design tackles the real drivers of health, time, stability, and knowledge so that parents can work, patients can learn, and care teams can coordinate. Along the way, we honor Jim Reed, whose fingerprints are on so many of these efforts, and preview a private anniversary gathering with local leaders, with plans to share the recording online so everyone can take part.
Join us for a grounded look at how technology, partnerships, and purpose can reshape local healthcare. If this story resonates, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review telling us what would make care truly accessible in your community.
• the clinic’s 20-year history and mission
• the impact of retired physicians and volunteers
• Jim Reed’s role in founding local nonprofits
• Thundering Cats concert support for care
• technology that improves patient education
• expansion into the community accelerator
• challenges of insurance and high deductibles
• a vision for broader health coverage
• details on the anniversary gathering
• how to tour the accelerator and find resources
Philanthropy today is brought to you by the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation. In this episode, we feature a recently broadcast segment of the GMCF Community Hour as heard on News Radio KMAN. The GMTF Community Hour returns on News Radio KMAN, and Rick Hernandez is here to speak about Manhattan Free Clinic.
SPEAKER_00:That's me. How are you doing, friend?
SPEAKER_01:You know, I I I think I'm doing really, really good. And I'm doing really, really good because you're doing really, really good because you're a Broncos fan, and you're gonna l you're gonna live that high life for the rest of your life.
SPEAKER_00:I'm gonna live that high life until you know we play the Chiefs. Until we play what I was gonna say, unnamed competition, but you've already done that for me. So we'll see how that turns out.
SPEAKER_01:It's quite a quite a game. But um and and and our guests may be able to tell Rick and I have a little bit of a history, so we become really good friends and and uh enjoy joking with each other a lot. So we do that. So well, let's get back to business.
SPEAKER_00:Sure. Want to know what's going on at the clinic, don't you?
SPEAKER_01:Manhattan Free Clinic, you've had quite a year.
SPEAKER_00:We have, we've had quite a year. Uh, you know, um we are in our 20th year. What a privilege it is to be part of this community first and foremost, and then secondly, to serve this community for the last 20 years has been amazing. I've only had the privilege to be in at the helm for the last six, but I'm gonna tell you uh this has been a year so far of looking back while we're looking forward. So I've spent a lot of time getting ready for our 20-year celebration, which is this Thursday night. And I had a lot of time to look back at doctors like Dr. Gardner and Dr. Rose and Dr. Meek, that right after their retirement, they invested hundreds, if not thousands, of hours into the clinic. And then to see the individuals that are currently involved in our clinic that pour into these people that we serve. It's just been a privilege. And to watch us not only um have a kind of a rebirth in the last few years, but also uh growing to where we're in a second location at the uh Flint Hills Community Accelerator, what a privilege it is to spend time there today. It's uh right today we're we're serving patients up in that location as well as right here across the street at 401.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and when you talk about 401, you're talking about 401 South 4th Street.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, New York 401 Houston. Houston, we're at the corner of Fourth and Houston. So yeah, it's a what a privilege it's been to be in there for the last 20 years. Julie Govert Walter has been amazing uh to provide that space for as long as we've been there. And and so we're just kind of enjoying looking at our history, also looking at the present, and now we have to dwell on the future. What's the future look like? And you know, we have a government shutdown right now, or fighting over health care uh expenses and those types of things, and there could be some fallout there as well. So we've positioned ourselves in a really healthy place to where we can provide health care for those individuals. I hope I'm not right, that could potentially lose their health care insurance.
SPEAKER_01:You know, that has uh become one of the most challenging things for just about every American is health care insurance, you know. And you know, so many of us don't have, you know, I go through the marketplace to get mine, and that's not easy.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, and it's oftentimes not sufficient. No one's so you you know in order to get inexpensive health care insurance that is privatized health care insurance, you have to have you have to carry out very high deductibles. So essentially, you're sometimes throwing good money after bad money. And and so uh, you know, I don't know the solution to that problem, Dave. I wish I did. Um, I think that would put us out of business. Um, but at the same time, we're there for those people that do find themselves in those situations.
SPEAKER_01:You're there to fulfill a need, you're not there as a business, but you know, and to be put out of business is as long as everybody else is getting served, the service that they need, yes, that wouldn't be a bad thing in the long run.
SPEAKER_00:In the long run, that's good, that would be a God's plan. So hey, look, can I talk about Jim Reed for a moment?
SPEAKER_01:You know, Jim Reed is a dude that that I hold near and dear to my heart. So you talk about uh 20 years, it's almost been 20 years since my wife passed away, and he was the uh uh he was uh the pastor for that and helped me through so much. He's and and you know, you can look at what he has done, what a legacy he has in the Manhattan area, including getting things started with uh the Manhattan Free Clinic.
SPEAKER_00:And somewhere else, do you know that he started uh he was one of the founding members of the Shepherd's Crossing as well? And we're gonna have the privilege of hearing from Beth Klug this Thursday as uh several of us are getting together, having dinner together, and celebrating not only the 20 years, past, present, and future of the clinic, but the work that Jim Reed did to put this thing together. Everyone that I spoke to, every single person ended our conversation like this, this would not have happened without Jim Reed. Yeah. And it it's just amazing. He is uh truly a man that understands uh what when Jesus said, love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and soul, and the second is equal to the first, love your neighbor as yourself. What a love story Jim Reed has in this community. He truly does love people. Uh, he put together two amazing um nonprofits uh that does their best to follow his example as he followed he followed Jesus' instruction. So uh great privilege to be in his presence this Thursday night as we celebrate the clinic, but also uh celebrate Jim Reed. And uh we got some pretty fun stuff stored.
SPEAKER_01:We have not had enough opportunities to celebrate Jim Reed in this community.
SPEAKER_00:Nope. And I I'm I'm hoping it's not going to be the only opportunity to celebrate Jim Reed, but it certainly is our privilege to start it.
SPEAKER_01:Well, I'm excited to be a part of this.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, thank you for agreeing.
SPEAKER_01:And uh when you said Jim Reed, I was all in.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, yeah. Well, who wouldn't be? Who wouldn't be? And listen out there, it's nothing to do with you. Listen out there, if you don't know Jim Reed, uh he's he is an amazing man to get to know. So uh uh, you know, Jim Reed, your phone's gonna start ringing any moment now.
SPEAKER_01:I'm not gonna put the number out there.
SPEAKER_00:No, uh we won't put the number out there, but uh uh I'm sure uh he'd answer anyway. Yeah. He'd answer anyway.
SPEAKER_01:And you know he loves to play the trombone.
SPEAKER_00:Oh man, and that's the other thing he found it was the Thundering Cats. Oh my goodness. Every Christmas uh we go to uh down here at the church on points, uh, and we fill that thing up, and Jim Reed and the Ministerial Alliance does a wonderful job putting a program together uh to celebrate that time of year, that season, uh, that we all know and love. And uh they play some amazing big band Christmas music.
SPEAKER_01:Well, they play a lot of music that that's not just Christmas, but you know, there's a tremendous depth of talent within that organization.
SPEAKER_00:And you know they they don't charge for tickets for this. I'm gonna put in a little plug for this uh event that's happening this uh late fall, early Christmas season. Um they do not charge tickets, but they take a free will offering, and that does not stay with the band. That goes to the Manhattan Free Clinic and Shepherd's Crossing. I wonder how that worked out. I you know, I I don't know, but we uh we are loving that uh people are blessed by the music of the thundering cats, and then they extend that blessing on to people in need. So uh we love it. It really signifies that time of year, uh celebrating uh not only the holiday season, Christmas season, but also celebrating the opportunity to serve others. That isn't that what Jim Reed's all about.
SPEAKER_01:That is, it really is. That is, no doubt about it. Well, you know, but take a look back at 20 years of service, you know, here in Manhattan and and not just Manhattan. You know, you serve um much of the surrounding community as well. Uh what do you think has been some of the more significant aspects about the evolution of the free clinic?
SPEAKER_00:Well, technology probably is the the first thing that comes to mind. Um, you know, when a lot of nonprofits cannot afford uh keeping up with the times in technology, um we've been blessed to have that opportunity. Uh, when we opened the second location uh up at the Flint Hills Community Accelerator, we were able to apply for a deal grant, and uh we were awarded that grant, and that$10,000 equipped that clinic room up there. Uh everything from lab testing equipments with state-of-the-art stuff.
SPEAKER_01:And I I will say, you know, when you gave me the little tour, yeah, there are technological advancements in there that I don't get at my regular doctor's office. Nothing against them. Right. But I mean, you have this touch screen where you can just go in and define every aspect of the human body.
SPEAKER_00:We call it the the big iPad on the wall. Yeah, that's about um literally we'll tell patients when we when we room them, uh, please don't uh hesitate to touch this screen, and we'll quickly demonstrate if they want to go to something that they're interested in. Let's say they're there for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD, and you can go onto this screen, touch that COPD uh menu, and it can show you a video, what's COPD all about, list some uh uh fun facts that you can improve your breathing uh at home, and questions that you can ask your doctor. So they educate themselves before the physician even walks in the door. And then if they uh like what they've seen, our physician can then touch the screen, send that video to their email address before they even get home. They'll have that there to refresh their memory, show other people in the home that's gonna help them uh come out with better health outcomes. That's the whole point of that, is that's the whole point of our work. Uh serve these individuals and uh hope that we can provide opportunities to inform themselves, educate themselves, and interact with their education to have better health outcomes.
SPEAKER_01:Do you have that advancement in your clinic downtown?
SPEAKER_00:We do. Okay. We have uh all four exam rooms, both both uh uh both locations totaling. Yeah, yeah. We have four exam rooms. We have those screens in every room, we have them in every waiting area uh as well. They're not as interactive in the waiting area. That's a different format where it's educating them about medications that can be prescribed for different uh illnesses, or it may be just interactive trivia type stuff where they can uh learn things about uh healthcare uh that they may not have walked in the door knowing.
SPEAKER_01:What would you consider to be your most ambitious goal looking forward to the next 20 years?
SPEAKER_00:Oh boy, I wish I had a crystal ball. I wish I had a crystal ball. I'm I I my personal um desire to w would would be to see our country take care of our countrymen. I would love to see our uh administration, whatever administration it is in the future, every administration come back to hey, we're a we all live on this planet together, we all live in this country together, we are mandated as Americans to take care of Americans, and we need to find a way to provide health care for everyone. And that might put the community clinic out of business. But if we can provide health care for everyone, then health care uh out good outcomes may increase.
SPEAKER_01:Uh not just also would increase the the business perspective of everybody because there would be a greater need within, you know, the medical care facilities and more doctors and more clinics to help.
SPEAKER_00:I do believe, yeah, absolutely. You're absolutely right. It would stretch the economy of healthcare a little bit further. Uh, would it put a burden on our uh on our country to provide health care? Yes, it would. Uh, but I think overall, in the long run, a healthier America is a better America.
SPEAKER_01:We talked a little bit about this 20th anniversary celebration, which is coming up Thursday. And I know that you know you're you're hosting this at the accelerator. That's correct. They're on Kemble Avenue. I don't know the numbers. Uh the street number.
SPEAKER_00:The street number is just right north of the hospital. It's 2438, I believe. Okay. 2438 Kimball.
SPEAKER_01:And if you haven't been there, this is something that you've got to check out sometime because this is a this is a huge innovation for our community. And we've got, you know, we've been really blessed to have so many people that are expressing interest in what we've done here in Manhattan, Kansas.
SPEAKER_00:Yes.
SPEAKER_01:And other people, not just in Kansas, but throughout the nation, are looking at what we are doing here with this. And and it's got to be pretty exciting for the the free clinic to be a part of that.
SPEAKER_00:It is. Uh, you know, back when uh this was in its conceptual stage and when we were writing grants, um uh I was helped uh I was asked to help write the grant for the medical, uh, the medical part of this four-pillar operation. And um uh we were blessed to acquire that and and blessed to be there. But what's most exciting about it is uh exactly what you just said, the whole concept is different than most. There are uh accelerators out there uh that focus on child care, but not childcare and medical and uh education pieces and uh workforce, uh work placement uh services all in one place. And so it when you do go to this building, and if you do want to see this building, uh you can go there. Uh it's the green building behind the medical surgical center. Uh and uh it has a purple side and a yellow side. And beautiful landscaping. And it can be absolutely for sure. And so the community side is the education piece, the workforce piece, and the clinic piece. And then the right hand side, which is the purple side, the yellow, sorry, the gold side, yellow side is the community side. The purple side is the community or the child care business initiative, uh, which is the incubator for uh teaching, educating, and uh uh ensuring uh that childcare is run as uh uh at its most uh efficient, with the most integrity, and educating the people as business owners as well.
SPEAKER_01:Certainly has been an amazing concept to see it come through from development, you know, when the the beginning talk station, uh the talking through the community foundation and the chamber of commerce and leadership and vision of three young ladies that are in the child care industry or child care um you know world. You know, they they live it because you know their kids are in there and you know they got a provider, and it's just been neat to see that all come to fruition. Really cool. We ought to be that's one of the great accomplishments of this community in the last several years.
SPEAKER_00:We're gonna touch on that Thursday. We're gonna touch on that. We're gonna celebrate that a little bit. Lisa's gonna be there and and uh Lacey and Megan uh from the accelerator side. Uh there'll be a dinner. Uh Vern Henriks is asked to speak. Oh. Uh, you know, I mean, you know, it's Vern. We've got to have him. Uh and Vern, if you're listening, uh, we're thrilled that you're gonna be speaking. Uh he's gonna talk a little bit about the importance of a foundation uh and how the purpose of supporting nonprofits. But also, uh, he's known Jim Reed for a lot of years as well. And so he's got a few stories to tell about that. But also, I'd love to see him just uh call attention to this amazing place that we're gonna congregate in uh this Thursday night and share a little bit about their vision as well.
SPEAKER_01:Is that open to the public?
SPEAKER_00:It's not normally open to the public because it does it's a secured building, obviously, because there is child care available there. But you can call ahead and and ask for a tour of it. Um uh whether it's the community side, I'd be happy to give a tour on the community side or Lisa would be happy to give a tour on the child care side as time warrants, obviously. Uh, but uh it is a secure building, so not everybody can just walk in. But uh go up there and drive by it if you haven't noticed it already. But it's it's a pretty amazing place.
SPEAKER_01:Any available seating for Thursday night's event remaining it's by invitation only.
SPEAKER_00:Uh we had to require that only because there's just so many people that know Jim Reed, but also, you know, just to stay within uh uh an intimate uh setting as well. Uh, but we're gonna post. I'm hoping that we're gonna record the whole thing and post this on our uh webpage as a link uh so that anybody that was not able to make it or uh you know uh wasn't able to be attend uh can see it and uh enjoy that evening with us.
SPEAKER_01:Sounds great. Rick Hernandez is his name. He's the executive director of the Manhattan Free Clinic. You can always find out more about the clinic at the website.
SPEAKER_00:Wmhkfreeclinic.com.
SPEAKER_01:We'll be back with Jaina Ukrajenko in just a couple of moments. This is the GMCF Community Hour here on News Radio KMAN.