There are "Heroes," and there are Heroes.

There are the sports “heroes” and guitar “heroes” who are paid millions to entertain us. And there are the heroes who are paid nothing or next to nothing to help and heal those among us who are most vulnerable. This is a story about the latter. There are more than enough of stories about the former.

In 1971, a dedicated group of youthful health workers and community activists—who, at the time, were very likely called “hippies” or maybe even “radicals”—believing that healthcare is a “human right, not a privilege”, founded the Kansas City Free Health Clinic. Not a lot of the utopian undertakings of that idealistic era have survived. But the Free Clinic has. It has, in fact, thrived. It’s one of the oldest and largest free health clinics in the United States.

The mission of the Free Clinic was, and remains, to provide basic healthcare, at no charge. In the 70s, much of the Clinic’s efforts were directed at elderly residents of the Westport area, as well as the Bohemian youth of the neighborhood, who benefited from the Clinic’s family planning and STD testing services.

In the 80s and 90s, as HIV/AIDS became as increasingly serious public health problem, the Clinic devoted significant resources to treatment and prevention of the disease.

In the late-90s and into the 21st century, the Clinic expanded its general medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and mental health services to meet the needs of the growing numbers of individuals without health insurance.

In 2005-2006, the Kansas City Free Clinic provided care for more than 13,000 people in its main offices on Broadway and through its activities in the community.

Though the Clinic employs a staff of 80 health professionals, administrators, and ancillary staff, essential to the fulfillment of its mission is the work of hundreds of volunteers. In 2005-2006, nearly 800 volunteers gave more than 29,000 hours of their time and effort to help sustain the work of the Clinic. The estimated value of these volunteer hours is $1.8 million. The value calculated in lives restored and saved: inestimable.

“Our volunteers are the heart and soul of what we do,” says Sheridan Wood, the Clinic’s executive director since 1996. “They don’t just ‘help out’ around the margins. Our work would be absolutely impossible without them.” 

There’s a logic in the motivation of many of the Clinic’s volunteers. Some are former patients who volunteer their time in order to give back some of what has been given to them. Others are students in medicine or other health professions and their volunteering gives them valuable experience and training.

Obie Austin’s story is typical, though Obie himself is anything but.

Austin grew up in a rough part of Kansas City where opportunities were few and far between and those that came along were often squandered. Crime was a barely controlled cancer that threatened the life of the community and the lives of its residents.

Austin’s grandfather was the sole provider for a household of sixteen. There was little money, but there was a strong work ethic and an equally strong desire to escape the despair that held his neighborhood and his family in its grip.

“College was my way to escape,” says Austin. “I was recruited to attend Western Missouri State University. They said ‘We’ve got money to help kids like you go to school.’ So I took them up on it. I was desperate. I needed to get out.”

Though Austin admits it took him awhile, he eventually completed his undergraduate degree, then went on to earn a master’s degree in nursing from UMKC.

“It took a long time for the light to come on for me. I failed two grades of high school, and the first three years of college, before I finally understood what was at stake and began to turn things around.”

Austin first came to the Clinic as part of his graduate work. 

“I was on a rotation there as a student nurse practitioner. The patients I was taking care of there were literally the people I grew up with. They were my people. So there was a strong connection right from the start.”

After graduation, Austin was put on the payroll at the Clinic, where he stayed for four years.

Following his time as a Clinic staffer, Austin served a stint in the Navy as a nurse practitioner at a M*A*S*H-type expeditionary hospital in Kuwait, caring for injured troops behind the front lines of the Iraq war.

Now back from Iraq, Austin is currently a nurse practitioner at UMKC’s Student Health and Wellness Clinic.

In April, UMKC’s alumni association will honor Obie Austin with its “Defying the Odds” award at its annual alumni awards dinner.

“God has blessed me with a talent,” says Austin, looking back on his journey. “It would be wasteful not to put it to work for my community. That’s why I stay at the Clinic as a volunteer, and always will. I get a lot more reward by giving my talents and skills to the people who need it most.”

Reflecting on Austin’s perseverance, dedication, and selflessness, Sheri Wood says she couldn’t be happier that he’s being recognized by his alma mater.

“Throughout my years in healthcare, I have worked with many who are heroic. They make sacrifices on a daily basis and give so much of themselves. Obie, however, is right there at the top. He gives so much to his patients.  He worked hard to get where he is, he listens with open ears and a non judgmental attitude, and he keeps his sense of humor and belief in what people can do and overcome. His skills as a nurse practitioner are exceptional and he serves as a teacher and mentor for others in his profession. He’s an inspiration.”