Two rural clinics that provide vital healthcare to East Tennessee towns are closing. The doors to the free medical clinics in Deer Lodge in Morgan County and Briceville in Anderson County are now shut.
For the past 18 years, Dr. Tom Kim was the only doctor that visited the small town of Briceville on a regular basis.
"Everybody is sad because it closed," said Margaret Guyton, a resident of Briceville for 53 years. "We really depended on that, everybody did."
In a town without a supermarket or restaurant, the medical clinic is the latest business to close shop.
Briceville welcomed his weekly visits with open arms. His free medical clinic became a place to feel welcome, cared for, and loved. Now, the closest doctor is miles away. For many, that’s too far to travel and too much to pay.
"He helped a lot of people out up here that didn’t have insurance or a job. He would help them out a lot," said Guyton. "There were people just standing in a line just to see Dr. Kim because he is a sweetheart. He really did take care of people in Briceville and the community. That’s one good thing about him."
Dr. Kim started operating free medical clinics in East Tennessee 25 years ago. Now he’s searching for a successor to keep his dream of offering free healthcare alive.
"When I wanted to be a doctor, I wanted to help poor people. Here I am," said Dr. Kim. "My motto is do one good deed a day. Just try and do one good deed a day."
Dr. Kim provided the small town of Briceville a lifeline and a connection to medical care many so desperately need.
In his 70’s and looking to pass the clinic on to a successor, Kim can no longer make his weekly trips to the rural parts of East Tennessee. He’s been searching for a doctor to take up the clinic and continue to provide the lifeline for care. So far in Briceville and at another clinic in Deer Lodge, that search has turned up empty.
"When I started, I made the trip and never stop," said Dr. Kim. "Now I have to stop by the highway somewhere, pull over and take a little nap."
Dr. Kim’s main clinic on Chapman Highway in South Knoxville will remain open. Another doctor already took over his clinic in Oneida, which will also remain open.