Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

If you’ve spent any time in Oak Ridge lately, you’ve seen the “I am turning an armory into a medical center” posters all over town. It’s a campaign for the Free Medical Clinic, which provides no-charge health care for low-income and uninsured residents of Anderson, Roane and Morgan counties.

The clinic was launched by John and Mary Lou Auxier in 2010 and has served more than 90,000 patients since it opened. The couple passed in the early 2020s, but the clinic has carried on strong — so much so that it needs more space.

The Free Medical Clinic is expanding its operations by relocating to the old National Guard Armory at 1790 Oak Ridge Turnpike. The project has been in the works since 2024 and is set to come to fruition in early 2027.

We toured the facility and spoke with Executive Director Billy Edmonds about why the project matters, both as a driver that brings life back to an empty building and as a boost to the local economy and workforce.

Why it matters

Edmonds explained that people can often jump to conclusions about who they help, but usually, their audience is your typical neighbor who is just getting by.

“The people we help are the everyday workforce. These are people that get turned down for TennCare because they make too much money. And by making ‘too much money,’ you’re looking at Burger King workers, McDonald’s, Walmart,” he said.”These are people that keep our city going. Even college students often don’t have insurance. We even some part-time professors. In total, there’s 16,000 families in our three county area that qualify for our care. It’s important to get them back on the job.”

But even beyond the job, the clinic’s mission is critical to the city’s broader growth.

“If the city wants more people living here and not just working here, yet you don’t have a solution like ours, then homelessness increases. People don’t want to buy in a city that’s not taking care of their people because it ends up impacting them from a safety, infrastructure and financial standpoint. Our work also keeps hospitals open for real emergencies — not sinus infections or the like,” he explained.

Edmonds also believes the project could serve as a model to help communities across the state and nationally do the same.

Impact by the numbers

The new care center will provide major expansions across every service line:

• Primary care: Growing from five medical exam rooms to 11, a 120% increase in capacity.
• Mental health: Growing from one exam room to five, a 500% increase in capacity.
• Vision: Expanding by 100%, a 400% increase in capacity thanks to updated technology.
• Dental: A brand-new service line, launching free dental care with four dental spaces.
• Mobile units: Eight mobile community health and engagement units, a 400% increase.

Edmonds said consolidating these specialties under one roof will make a real difference for patients already stretched thin.

“For the people we’re helping, it matters if they travel an extra 30 minutes and use more gas to see a different doctor. It matters if they have to take a day off or arrange multiple days of childcare to go visit multiple locations. If they can come here and everything’s under one roof, it’s a one-stop shop. It really is comprehensive care.”

Support the clinic

The City of Oak Ridge has played a major role in helping the clinic secure the building and pursue historical site listing, which will assist with preservation and maintenance funding. But the project has been a community effort from the start.

“There’s a lot of expense to this. Oak Ridge National Lab has covered the plumbing install. CNS has covered the HVAC. TCAT has their construction students working. It’s so helpful for us and for them as they get onsite training. We’re going to have a ribbon cutting one day, and as a company, you want to be there. You need to be there. It’s truly a historic moment that’s worth investing in.”

Whether that’s time, money, supplies or connections, Edmonds says anything helps. Give today.

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