With Doctor Still Missing, Clinic's Celebration is Bittersweet

By Elana Gordon

Kansas City, KS – A local children's clinic has turned twenty, but its celebration yesterday was bittersweet.

Several dozen people gathered at Turner House Children's Clinic to recognize its two decades of providing health care to underserved kids in Kansas City, Kansas. The event also honored one of the clinic's founders, Dr. Frank Vaughters.

Dr. Vaughters was on a medical mission in Haiti when the earthquake hit more than two weeks ago. He's still missing.

Many people at the Turner House event, including Dr. Warren Jackson, are wearing green ribbons.

"It just symbolizes that I haven't given up hope on Dr. V," says Dr. Jackson. "And I still have hope that we may still find him."

Dennis Boody is director of the Turner House clinic and says Vaughters got the idea for place after going door to door and asking Kansas City, Kansas residents about their greatest needs.

"Dr. Vaughters recognized there were a large number of kids that weren't getting seen by doctors. They didn't have access," says Boody.

Boody says the clinic initially had about 400 patient visits a year, but now has nearly 10,000.

Funding for health care coverage on KCUR has been provided by the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City.

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