A small rural community of less than 300 people, Kingsville, Missouri did not have any health care, a problem faced by many other rural towns. The closest doctor practiced over thirty miles, a burden in distance that fell mainly upon the aged and infirm. Steve Flick, Missouri farmer and CEO of Flick Seed Company, planted a kernel of an idea in the community: why not establish a clinic to provide affordable and accessible health care to farmers, rural residents and employees of local small businesses? This idea would blossom into the establishment of the Western Johnson County Medical Clinic.
That seed of an idea grew with Steve’s purchase of a defunct equipment store located in the heart of Kingsville in January 2004. In cultivating the idea, Steve thought about those who would use the clinic, those who would work at the clinic, and those who would help the clinic grow. Steve then contacted a medical architect friend who helped develop plans to maximize every square inch of the space available. As a ground-up endeavor, Steve and his partner had to plan everything to the last detail and contingency -- from establishing a revenue stream, accessible parking, to the color of the exam room walls. With the groundwork in place by September 1, 2004, Steve prevailed upon masons, drywall experts, plumbers, electricians, carpenters and HVAC workers from local firms with whom and with which he had worked with over the years to give their best efforts. The doors of the clinic opened shortly thereafter on October 15, 2004.
In 2006, the clinic continues to grow and has even made local headlines for its “early-bird,” 7:00 a.m. appointments and for its weekend walk-ins, which accommodate working families that cannot make appointments during the week. Steve’s mantra, “profit is not the motive,” remained his underlying theme from the day he planted the concept for the clinic. But the clinic has reaped a bountiful harvest in other ways—from providing on-site mammography to women who had never had a mammogram to prostrate cancer screenings for men to providing low-cost athletic physicals to students in five local school districts: Kingsville, Holden, Strasburg, Crestridge and Lone Jack. To date, the clinic has seen over 5,000 patients. Western Johnson County Medical Clinic serves as a full-time, full-service medical clinic. A team of doctors, under contract from other clinics, help tend the ever-growing patient caseload.
Steve Flick’s seed of an idea has grown and blossomed into an important community resource, firmly planted in Kingsville. A Foundation since established helps grow Western Johnson County Medical Clinic, and any other rural health care clinics in Johnson County, Missouri to address the health care needs of rural residents. Steve Flick, a farmer and businessman of the region, shows that even in hard ground, a seed of a great idea and the careful attention of a dedicated steward can produce a harvest that benefits the community many times over, and for every one of its citizens.
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