ORANGE PARK – The Way Free Medical Clinic at 302 College Dr. is finally open, but that doesn’t mean the mission slows down for Executive Director Don Fann.

After spending the last four years keeping the older clinic operating at 479 Houston St. in Green Cove Springs—all while trying to raise $2.6 million to transform a 5,100-square-foot commercial building across from St. Johns River State College into a 7,300-square-foot modern clinic—Fann maintained his hectic pace.

Last Tuesday, he spent time at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, meeting with officials from the local hospital and the Rochester, Minnesota, headquarters about further assistance.

“I just had a great lunch with some people, some of whom were from Minnesota,” Fann said. “We’re building our partnerships. I’d eventually love to see all the hospitals that we partner with have their logos on our building. I think that would help to reinforce to our patients that we're not working in a vacuum; there are things that the hospitals are doing for our patient crews for which they don't get credit. We have residents rotating through. I can see us rolling out a more formal way of recognizing these partnerships for their hospitals.”

The Way is a nonprofit that provides free medical and dental services to improve the overall health of uninsured or underinsured residents within 300% of the federal poverty guideline.

The new clinic has newer equipment and is 4,000 square feet larger than the recently closed clinic in Green Cove Springs.

“I think for everybody, it's just a big fresh start here,” said Medical Director Dr. Harry Madhanagopal, D.O. “We're excited about all the community involvement that was involved in making this building happen, and I think for a lot of our patients, they're very excited just in a new fresh facility as well to new equipment.”

The new clinic has a large waiting room, a separate dental section with four bays, a maternity section and a laboratory.

Andrea Crowder, the Associate Executive Director who will become the Executive Director on Jan. 1 as Fann transitions into retirement, said The Way is working with JTA and the county on connecting residents in Green Cove Springs and Keystone Heights who have transportation problems to the clinic.

“Getting this clinic open has been good for some parts,” she said. “As far as Green Cove Springs, they didn’t want to see us go. We had a lot of clients who were in the Orange Park area as well as in Middleburg, so for them, it's a little bit of a shorter commute. But as Dr. Harry and a lot of the other administrators have mentioned, we're finding a way to get our patients from Green Cove as well as Keystone to the clinic.”

Fann said he will remain with the clinic as the interim development director until someone is hired in the spring. The work will undoubtedly continue.

“The new clinic is an amazing facility,” Fann said. “It is a real testament to the community and their support of The Way and its mission. It's a beautiful environment for our patients who deserve to be treated in a pleasant environment and to receive the healthcare they need.”