How We Started
Our entity first opened and operated as St. Michael’s Community Services, Inc. July 30, 1987. We began our work with the community Feb 14, 1988 under the leadership of Dr. Neal Canup. The focus of the work was to offer limited medical services to those without access, connect patients to needed resources, provide social services such as patient education, and to provide an organization to which concerned citizens could confidently invest in meeting the needs of those living with health disparities. We strive to continue and to expand this focus. Our work over the years has taken on many forms from volunteer physicians, to supervised medical students providing care, to the utilization of contracts with the Alabama Department of Public Health, to the employment of clinicians treating patients, yet the passion to serve the community continues. Thousands of patients have been served in West Anniston and the surrounding communities of Calhoun County.
St. Michael's Medical Clinic
In recent years, the focus of care has shifted to specifically meet the needs of the low-income, uninsured residents of Calhoun County. Since 2000, we have employed a clinician (Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant) to provide direct primary care to this population.
Growing As A Clinic
In 2023, having outgrown the office space provided to us by the Church of St. Michael and All Angels, we entered a partnership with the City of Anniston to occupy a newly renovated clinic at the former Glen Addie Community Center. The City extends a charitable lease to the Clinic in order to support our work. The clinic is now located at the Dr. David Satcher and St. Michael's Clinic & Community Learning Center.
Originally built in 1947 as the Glen Addie Community Center and later utilized as the Boys and Girls Club, renovations were completed in November of 2023. The City of Anniston’s dedication to improving healthcare access for members of their community and a desire to honor the life and legacy of Dr. David Satcher compelled the project.
Born in 1942, a native of Anniston, AL, David Satcher was gravely ill with whooping cough at age 2. An African American physician, Dr. Jackson, attended to the young child who was not expected to live. But he did live and Satcher reports that hearing the story of the doctor’s care for him compelled his pursuit of a medical career.
He attended Morehouse College in Atlanta graduating in 1963. He received his MD and a PhD in cell biology from Case Western Reserve University in 1970. He completed his residency and fellowship training at the Strong Memorial Hospital, the University of Rochester, the UCLA School of Medicine, and Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital. He was the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most notably, Satcher served as the Surgeon General of the United States under President Clinton from Assistant Secretary for Health. In 2006, Satcher established the Satcher Health Leadership Institute (SHLI) at Morehouse School of Medicine as a natural extension of his experiences improving public health policy for all Americans and his commitment to eliminating health disparities for minorities, the poor, and other disadvantaged groups.
Dr. David Satcher
The Center now serves to house St. Michael’s Medical Clinic as we provide healthcare services to low-income, uninsured residents of Calhoun County. It also has a community learning center staffed by the City of Anniston with computers available for public education and training. Working together with the Community Center, the Clinic offers health education training to improve the lives of our patients and the community. Other future opportunities include exercise classes, financial literacy courses, support groups, lifestyle improvement and alternative therapies.