Volunteers In Medicine Founder, Dr. Jack McConnell, Passes February 7, 2018

Dr. Jack McConnell, founder of the first Volunteers in Medicine free clinic, passed away on February 6, 2018 at the age of 93. Dr. McConnell founded the charitable clinic model in Hilton Head, SC, in 1993, utilizing largely retired, volunteer physicians and staff to serve the low income, uninsured residents of the island.

Since the original clinic’s founding, 89 Volunteers in Medicine clinics have grown in 28 states throughout the nation. Barrier Islands Free Medical Clinic, founded by Dr. Arthur Booth and Dr. Charlie Davis in 2008, was based on McConnell’s model and opened to serve the uninsured who live or work on Johns, James and Wadmalaw Islands.

The Volunteers In Medicine national office, located in Burlington, VT, states on their website, “As a result of Dr. McConnell’s vision…Hundreds of thousands of people who were previously without a regular source of care have been treated.  Tens of thousands of volunteers have experienced the joy of serving.”

At Barrier Islands Free Medical Clinic, we mourn the loss of a compassionate visionary and a leader who believed that everyone deserves the dignity of health care. You can read more about Dr. McConnell and his legacy here. 

Find a touching tribute from the band, Phish, and a video of Dr. McConnell performing with them in North Charleston, here.

Barrier Islands Free Medical Clinic is a free clinic in Charleston, SC, that provides free medical care to eligible patients, just like any family practitioner or internist. The Free Clinic serves uninsured adults living at or below 200 % of the Federal poverty level who live or work on Johns, Wadmalaw or James Islands. You can follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.