After years at Christ Community Health Services, doctors open Resurrection Health

Fueled by faith and driven by compassion for the poor, Rick Donlon, MD, has spent the last two decades of his medical career aggressively reaching out to underserved populations in Memphis. For 20 years, Donlon treated patients through Christ Community Health Services, a faith-based healthcare facility for lower-income patients that he founded with three other partners, including Dr. David Pepperman.

That operational structure expanded from a handful of physicians and support staff to nearly 50 medical providers and some 300 employees, working in seven primary care health centers and four dental clinics in some of the area’s poorest communities. And while Christ Community continues to branch out ­– including a new medical and dental facility scheduled to open later this year in Frayser – Donlon will not be part of it.

In mid-February, Donlon and Pepperman opened Resurrection Health at 4095 American Way in Parkway Village. The opening followed the duo’s departure from CCHS in 2014, which resulted from differing views on how the faith-based medical organization should be run.

“The Christ Community board of directors wanted to go in one direction, and I felt we needed to go in a different one,” Donlon said. “But my commitment to the underserved has never wavered, and that’s why we worked to establish a new model.”

Resurrection Health is similar to CCHS in practice, if not yet in scope, and includes some familiar faces: About 20 medical personnel from CCHS have joined Donlon and Pepperman at the 7,100-square-foot facility on American Way that previously served as a Regional One Health Clinic. The center includes 18 exam rooms and offers a wide range of primary care services, such as prenatal care, pediatrics, adult care, HIV/AIDS care and geriatric medicine.

And while Resurrection Health is solidly based on evangelical Christian principles, its services are open to all.

“Our mission isn’t to turn anyone away because of what they believe in or don’t believe in,” Donlon said. “Our mission is to care for the poor and underserved, without regard to other factors. Our faith compels us along this path.”

In addition to providing care at the new clinic, Resurrection Health doctors also staff the Delta Medical ER at 3000 Getwell and perform general surgery at the Delta Medical Center at 3960 Knight Arnold. Plans include adding dental, optometry and pharmacy services.

“So few resources are available for the underserved, and while the majority of our patients are from the immediate areas around the communities we’re in, we get patients from as far away as Millington,” Donlon said. “There is just not a robust enough healthcare system in our area to provide proper care for all those in need. We’re trying to address that.”

In his role as CEO and practicing physician at Resurrection Health, Donlon said his goal is to flood primary care "deserts" with exceptional medical services. Pepperman is on board as the chief medical officer. In July, the fully accredited residency training program at CCHS will permanently transfer to Resurrection, adding another two dozen medical professionals to the operation.

Since opening its doors, Resurrection Health has been seeing about 150 patients a day, Donlon said. The nonprofit is sustained by reimbursements from Medicare and Medicaid, as well as from patients with insurance. Everyone pays something, Donlon said, and administrative and operational costs are kept as low as possible.

“We’ve done this long enough that we know how to run a lean operation,” Donlon said. “And because of our commitment to serving our patients, our doctors and staff work for lower salaries. We’re in this to provide the best healthcare possible to the population that needs it the most.”

And that means reaching out to as many as possible of the estimated 225,000 low-income residents in southeast and west Shelby County, Donlon said.

Of course the new operation can’t reach anywhere near that number, Donlon said, and that’s why it’s vital for organizations such as CCHS and the Church Health Center to continue treating the underserved and the working poor.

Ed Roberson, who assumed the CEO role at CCHS following Donlon’s departure, agreed.

“The unfortunate reality is that there are many, many more patients who need care than we’re able to provide for, and because of that it’s vital for this area to have centers where quality care is available and affordable,” Roberson said. “We continue to expand and serve where we’re needed, but that means that there are growing numbers of the poor and underserved who need our services.”

CCHS logged more than 173,000 visits last year by nearly 60,000 patients, and the organization is looking to expand with a new clinic in Raleigh. Also in the works are plans for adding behavioral health services and expanding dental programs.

“The impact of dental health on overall health is profound, and we’ll be working to develop more resources in this area,” Roberson said. “We also want to increase our activities and our presence in the communities we serve and partner with other organizations and people to be able to treat more patients.”

Looking ahead, Roberson said CCHS will remain committed to its mission of providing care to the needy. And he hopes one day that those in government will support that mission.

“There is a great need for our services and for centers like ours in this area and across the state, which is why it’s so detrimental that so many of our legislators voted against Gov. Haslam’s health plan that would have helped so many,” Roberson said. “So for now the struggle remains, and the underserved remain underserved. For us, they remain our primary focus, and caring for them is the reason we exist.”