Agape Clinic and Community Care

video introduction

The Agape Clinic began in 1983, when Barbara Stark Baxter, M.D., called the Dallas County Medical Society to ask about volunteer opportunities in Dallas. She was referred to Los Barrios Unidos, a clinic in the West Dallas Barrio, but its administrators feared that a volunteer physician might skew their budget and cause them to lose federal funding. Instead, they put her on their board of directors. That's when Dr. Baxter heard about the Agape Clinic.

"A woman made a presentation for a clinic she wanted to start in East Dallas," Dr. Baxter says, "and I found my opportunity to help." Dr. Baxter was soon introduced to a 12-by-13-foot closet in the basement of Grace United Methodist Church, with light bulbs hanging from wires, which would be her new clinic. "I was fresh from residency, so I bought a few things used at Parkland," she recalls. "I basically ordered everything to use in a family practice outpatient clinic."

The word spread. Vaccines came in from the Dallas County Health Department, and soon Dr. Baxter and her small staff were administering immunizations and seeing sick patients.

The closet grew into a clinic, expanded and renovated with donated gifts. The clinic hummed along with 20 to 30 patients treated each Saturday until the year 2000. Changes at the Dallas County Hospital District resulted in stricter registration procedures at Parkland, the county hospital. The number of patients seeking care at Agape increased significantly. In response to increased demand and a request from Baylor Medical Center Community Care, Agape Clinic and Baylor joined forces in the fall of 2000.

Volunteers play a vital role in staffing and coordinating the clinic. What makes Agape unique is the integration of comprehensive services in a medically underserved community at a very low cost. Services include primary medical care, immunizations, spiritual care, community health care, social services, professional education and community development.

To see how you can become involved with this truly amazing ministry, check out Agape Clinic volunteer and donations opportunities.