A healthcare worker with Concordia Visiting Nurses is meeting with community officials and organizations around Butler in an attempt to bring a free pop-up health clinic to the city.

Lynn McKinnis, a physical therapist with Concordia, is making preparations for Remote Area Medical, a nonprofit provider of free pop-up clinics based in Rockford, Tenn., to bring its services to Butler for a weekend.

McKinnis recently attended a conference in Ashtabula, Ohio, where she learned how much medical needs like vision, dental, nutrition and even triage care are needed in small communities. She said she heard that people helped in other cities had to choose between doctors visits, or had to prioritize dental care over vision, despite needing both.

The conference was also an informational session about how a community can host a free pop-up clinic with Remote Area Medical.

“Right now we are trying to get together enough interest for participation,” McKinnis said. “I think there is a need for it like there is anywhere else and right now is getting support.”

Last week, McKinnis spoke to Butler City Council about bringing the free clinic to the city, and she said she has met with other agencies that could potentially host or provide volunteers to the clinic. She said a host needs to find a venue, form a team, create a group of volunteers, find at least 15 hotel rooms for Remote Area Medical staff and provide food and water to personnel in order to schedule a pop-up clinic.

According to McKinnis, a pop-up clinic is still at least a year away, but she is currently looking for organizations and volunteers who would support the clinic.

“They go wherever they are invited by a community host group,” she said. “It’s the host group's responsibility to get everyone organized. We have to follow their process, we have to go to a clinic as a host group, get a backstage tour, have a question-and-answer session.”

Butler Mayor Bob Dandoy said following McKinnis’ presentation that the council may look into ways to support a clinic of this type coming to Butler.

“I think if we could bring services like that to our residents in the city it would be good for everyone,” Dandoy said. “Whatever way we can facilitate that ... The best part of the presentation was they have the money, so now we can focus on those other things so we might be able to facilitate.”

McKinnis said she is optimistic about the chance to bring the clinic to Butler, and is anticipating that it will happen next year.

“We have the luxury of picking a date,” she said. “It’s going to happen sometime in 2023.”

McKinnis said people interested in learning more about the clinic can email her at lmck@zoominternet.net.