Pediatric center serves KCK for 20 years

Turner House Children’s Clinic had to celebrate its 20th anniversary without its founder.

Dr. Frank Vaughters, founder of the Kansas City, Kan., safety net clinic, has not been heard from since the earthquake struck Haiti Jan. 12. Vaughters frequently volunteered in Haiti, providing women’s health services in the country. He was in Port-au-Prince during the earthquake.

“Dr. Vaughters started his volunteer work in Haiti years ago,” said Dennis Boody, MSW, Turner House executive director.

While Vaughters no longer served in a hands-on role at Turner House, his influence on the center remained.

“Dr. Vaughters did a lot of the leg work for the Turner House,” Boody said. “He was largely responsible for who we are today.”

Vaughters started the children’s clinic at 3rd Street at Stewart Avenue in Kansas City, Kan., because of the area’s economic disadvantages. Turner House, now located at 21 North 12th St., continues to serve low-income populations.

“This clinic serves a lot of kids who don’t have insurance and have Medicaid,” Clinical Manager Elena Leal, RN, BSN, said.

Leal joined the clinic staff two months ago.

“She has brought years of expertise and experience to this nonprofit clinic,” Boody said.

Leal said she wants to get the word out about Turner House’s outpatient pediatric services.

“We see ourselves as providing the care that any other outpatient pediatric clinic in Johnson County or Jackson County does,” Leal said.

Turner House staff includes a full-time physician and part-time nurse practitioner. Leal said other physicians provide services on a volunteer basis.

“A lot of our patients like to have this community clinic because it’s close to home and they don’t have transportation,” Leal said. “The patients feel safe (at Turner House). The patients feel happy in their own environment.”

Kim Andrews, a senior nursing student at Avila University, spends time at Turner House for her community health rotation.

Andrews said she appreciates the cultural diversity at Turner House, which serves a large Hispanic population.

“I found it interesting to work with the Hispanic population,” Andrews said.

Leal said she likes to work with nursing students.

“Community nursing is one of the bricks that she needs for her foundation in nursing,” Leal said. “She’s going to be serving her community no matter where she goes.”

As Turner House moves forward to its next 20 years, Leal said she hopes to spread her passion for community nursing to the next generation of professionals in the same way that Vaughters did during his time at the center.

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