White River Rural Health Center

In 1986, Ray M. Cockrill saw poverty rising and health care declining in the Delta.

He applied to the U.S. Public Health Service and received a $553,000 grant to open White River Rural Health Center Inc. at Augusta and two other clinics.

Since then, White River has branched out to include 13 medical clinics, three dental clinics and two chiropractic clinics that serve seven counties in northeast Arkansas. In 2002, its budget ballooned to $10 million. About 40 percent of the budget comes from federal funds and the rest from Medicare, Medicaid and insurance.

Cockrill said the reason for White River’s growth stems from the high need for services in rural communities.

“We just kind of seized the opportunities over the last 15 years,” said Cockrill, who has been the organization’s only executive director.

The clinics provide primary care, dental and other services to an area where about 20 percent of the population is uninsured. The clinic serves all people and charges a minimum of $10 a visit, Cockrill said.

In 2001, the community health centers treated about 85,000 patients for everything from high-risk pregnancies to toothaches, Cockrill said.

If White River wasn’t available, some patients would have to drive up to 45 minutes to the next available doctor or dentist, he said.

White River has 130 employees, including 18 doctors and four dentists. Although the organization is a nonprofit, it has always been in the black, Cockrill said.

White River also operates the Woodruff County Family Resource Center and has a grant from the federal government to treat AIDS patients in 18 counties.

“We pride ourselves in that we serve the total community,” Cockrill said.