St. Luke Community Clinic updates board; re-appoints longtime chairman

C. Thomas Rhyne continues as chairman of the new 14-member board of directors 21 years after he co-founded the St. Luke Community Clinic and following his retirement in 2015 as pastor of the Front Royal Presbyterian Church.

“They don’t seem to let me go!” Rhyne exclaimed following his reappointment.

Dr. C. Thomas Rhyne – Courtesy Photo

Rhyne was pastor at the church for 25 years and now is researching and writing a history of two ancestors in Shenandoah County where he lives. The clinic serves the medically uninsured and the needy of Warren County,

At a recent meeting, the following were named to the 2017-18 board in addition to Rhyne: Lorraine Hultchrist, vice chair, and Michael Orndower, treasurer. Board members are: Bonnie Landis, Brian Barbour, Dr. Furadoon Irani, Dr. Tommy Ball, Dr. Frederick Broadbent, Dr. Glenn Burdick, Gray Blanton, Jackie O’Donnell, Kimberley Streett, Peter Walker, and Dr. Tom Patteson. The executive director of St. Luke is Vickie Davies, RN, BSN.

Reacting to what the Royal Examiner called “mind boggling statistics for a small town, free medical facility” in an article last August, Davies reported 744 patients treated in 2016, along with 13,740 prescriptions issued.

The St. Luke’s facility at 316 North Royal Avenue includes a mental health clinic and a relatively new dental clinic, which already has treated some 2,500 patients. St. Luke offers primary care for acute and chronic illnesses, including diabetes, COPD, and hypertension; women’s health care, including breast and cervical cancer.

Davies, almost two years into her job, supervises a budget of about $398,000, a small, paid staff and about 60 clinical and non-clinical volunteers.