Clinic in Quindaro is down payment on a lifetime debt .
By DONOVAN CORRIGAN Special to The Star
Dreams can come true. Just ask Marvin McIntosh.
With the opening of the Community House of Wellness in the Quindaro district, he will be able to fulfill a pledge he made to himself when he left Wyandotte County years ago to pursue a career in medicine.
“I made myself a promise that one day I would come back to Kansas City and open up a clinic,” said McIntosh, who was born and raised in Kansas City, Kan. “I wanted to give back to a community that gave me so much while I was growing up.
“Whatever I am of good today, is because of what this community allowed for me to experience yesterday. This is the fulfillment of a life-long dream.”
McIntosh will be the medical director at the urgent care clinic, operated by the United Nation of Islam, at 1121 Quindaro Boulevard, Kansas City, Kan.
James 2X, national secretary for the United Nation of Islam, said he was elated to have McIntosh lead the medical clinic.
“He brings knowledge and skill to the community. He's experienced in general medicine, emergency medicine, OB-GYN, occupational medicine and pediatrics,” said 2X. “He knows quite a number of people and many people know him and his family.”
McIntosh, a 1964 Sumner High School graduate, received his M.D. from University of Kansas School of Medicine in 1975. He will oversee a medical center that will serve as both an urgent care facility and in some regards, a classroom.
He said he plans to speak with members of KU Med Center's administration to have some of the school's students intern at the new clinic.
“This medical center will be unique for several reasons,” said McIntosh, who previously was the senior medical director for General Motors at the company's headquarters in Detroit. “We are going to focus on preventive medicine. We want to educate the community or individual to take care of his or her own health status to prevent an illness or injury from occurring, rather than just reacting to an injury or illness.
“This medical facility will have what is referred to as ‘integrated medicine,'” McIntosh said. In doing so, it will integrate alternative and conventional medicine to treat each patient as whole being, rather than just an injury to an eye or an arm or diabetes or a heart problem. “We want to focus on the entire person.”
Sean Lisenbee of Kansas City, Kan., could attest to that. Lisenbee entered the medical center with an injury to one of his fingers, incurred as he removed a tire from a rack while working at a nearby service station. He left with his injury treated and some advice on sun damage and skin cancer.
Lisenbee said he was impressed with the medical treatment he received at the center.
“I think this will be a good thing for the community,” said Lisenbee, who lives near 18th and Walker streets. “They treated me well. It was good and quick service.”
The clinic on Quindaro Boulevard will treat most non-life threatening conditions, such as strains, sprains, cuts and bruises, high-blood pressure and diabetes. It will be open from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. on weekdays and from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.
“Issues that are non-life threatening, we'll be able to satisfy those issues or problems. Urgent care is treating conditions that are non-life threatening,” McIntosh said. “We anticipate being able to relief a lot of the burden of the local hospital emergency rooms so that they can concentrate on seeing real emergencies instead of issues that can be taken care of easily.”
Cash payments will be required at the time of services, but Medicare and Medicaid will also be accepted. If someone in the community is in need of urgent care and does not have the means to make payment, the medical center will work with that person.
“We are not opening a medical center for the purpose of making money,” 2X said. “However, a small fee is required to assist in covering the cost of utilities, equipment and supplies.
“We will work with the residents who cannot afford to pay anything because of their individual situation. Our will is to not turn away anyone. That would not be right.”
With his return to Kansas City, Kan., McIntosh's life has come full circle and he couldn't be happier. He said he wants to make an impact in his hometown and, just maybe, inspire some of the residents.
“We hope that the impact on this community with this medical center is that, No. 1 it allows better and closer access for health care for the residents within Wyandotte County,” McIntosh said. “It allows them an option for being able to improve their health status.
“We want the community to recognize this is an example of what we can do if we were to combine our resources and our efforts. We have the ability to bring into existence anything we want to bring into existence. We can do for us and not depend on others.”
At a glance
• Marvin McIntosh will be the medical director at a new urgent-care clinic, operated by the United Nation of Islam, at 1121 Quindaro Boulevard, Kansas City, Kan.
• The clinic will help bring urgent care to a part of town that has been medically underserved, and could ease the strain on emergency-room services at other hospitals.
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