About Dr. Chapin Henley

Retired physician Chapin Henley gathered a group of diverse volunteers together in fall 2001. They all shared a similar dream, to open a free clinic that would provide a medical home for working uninsured residents of Bibb County. Group leaders visited the Hilton Head Volunteers in Medicine Clinic and other facilities in the Southeast. The research trips confirmed their initial beliefs, that a volunteer clinic was a crucial component in closing some of the healthcare gaps facing the Macon-Bibb and Twiggs communities.

A generous grant from McNeil Laboratories and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded training from the Volunteers in Medicine Institute. Coliseum Health System donated a rent-free building on Rogers Avenue, and the Community Foundation of Central Georgia financed the site’s renovation. The MedCen Community Health Foundation (now Navicent Health Foundation) supported research, promotion, and fundraising efforts to help get the clinic started. The Peyton Anderson Foundation generously funded start-up costs ensuring the clinic’s first year of success.

Local businesses and individuals joined the effort and donated numerous items and services to help make the dream of opening Macon Volunteer Clinic become a reality. Volunteers spoke to civic groups and churches, as well as corporations and foundations, further increasing support. As a result of this community wide effort, Macon Volunteer Clinic was incorporated in April 2002, received its 501 (c) (3) status on October 16, 2002, and opened its doors February 18, 2003.

Since then, Macon Volunteer Clinic has provided almost 100,000 patient visits and served over 4,500 unique patients.