Bridge honors Free Medical Clinic founder
Pictured are Billy Edmonds, Free Medical Clinic executive director; David Coffey; Pat and James Wilson; John Volpe; Sen. Ken Yager; Gary Bickford; Ron Gregory; Kate Hull; Jessica Massengill; Ben Stephens, FMC president); and Pamela Kelley at the dedication of the John A. Auxier Memorial Bridge.
State Sen. Ken Yager, Free Medical Clinic board president Benjamin Stephens and Executive Director Billy Edmonds all attended and spoke at a recent dedication ceremony for the John A. Auxier Memorial Bridge.
The Free Medical Clinic provides medical services at no charge to qualifying people in East Tennessee.
Edmonds called the bridge “the best illustration I can give” regarding Auxier’s life.
“This is what his life was,” he said. “His life bridged gaps, and the bridge was a perfect way to express that.”
He said Auxier had trained as a nuclear physicist, but chose to dedicate his time to the Free Medical Clinic and helping people get the medical care they needed.
“His life was not built on impressing people; his life was built on helping people, and that was what stood out,” Edmonds said.
Stephens in his speech at the event focused on that ongoing work.
“The Free Medical Clinic is here to support the entire community and make things a little bit better for those in need,” he said.
“There’s no better way to do that than to have a staff and a group of people who from their hearts give everything that they can in support of those who are overworked underpaid, those who can’t afford current medical treatment,” Stephens said.
“The Free Medical Clinic is there to say ‘come see us. Come anyway. Let us help you and let us show you what we can do,’” Stephens said.
For more on Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge go to fmcor.org or call 865-483-3904. The Oak Ridge clinic and headquarters is at 116 East Division Road.