Ribbon cut on Seager Memorial Clinic’s new Karl & Erika Michel Center

Ribbon cut on Seager Memorial Clinic’s new Karl & Erika Michel Center

OGDEN — A new era is getting underway for the Seager Memorial Clinic.

On Wednesday — after nearly four decades of operating in around 750-square-feet of the Ogden Rescue Mission’s basement — the ribbon was cut on the clinic’s Karl & Erika Michel Center on 24th Street.

Jerika mays, Executive director of the Seager Memorial Clinic, told the Standard-Examiner that the clinic was originally established by Dr. Floyd Seager in 1988.

“He witnessed a man experiencing homelessness collapse right there by Union Station on Wall Avenue and he decided to do something about that,” she said. “He rallied the medical community in Ogden — both McKay-Dee Hospital and Ogden Regional Medical Center — to gather like-minded medical professionals to start a free clinic.”

She said around 80 volunteers contribute to the clinic each month.

“These are physicians, providers, dentists, pharmacists, front-desk volunteers all giving to help run the clinic,” she said. “We provide free medical, dental, vision, mental health and pharmacy services for the underserved.”

Mays said a need arose for more space as time went on.

“When we have multiple clinics going on — we have a general clinic, a mental clinic and many volunteers — it’s very tight,” she said. “We were looking for a larger location and we were able to acquire the old family history library in Ogden in 2021, and we’ve been working for some time to renovate this space to be a much larger free clinic.”

She said in addition to providing free medical, dental, vision, mental health and pharmacy services, the new space will allow the clinic to expand its hours in the near future and provide additional services such as mental health counseling, preventative dental care and health education.

“When our patients walk through our doors, we are giving them dignity,” she said. “They’re entering a space that’s beautiful, modern with new equipment and we’re so excited to show that we care and that we are here for them in their time of need,” she said.

A short ceremony was held ahead of the ribbon cutting on Wednesday featuring several dignitaries speaking about the clinic, its purpose and Dr. Seager’s legacy.

Among them was Dr. Johnnie Cook, the clinic’s board chairman.

We have lots of different people who come to the clinic,” he said. ‘We have homeless people, we have people who are recently released convicts, we have addicts, uninsured, under-insured, a lot of people who have insurance but don’t have the money for medicines. Through the Seager Clinic, they’re able to get kind, compassionate, non-judgmental care.”

He noted that the Seager was the first free clinic opened in the state of Utah, that almost 10 have been formed statewide since and that Seager Clinic is the only one operating a pharmacy.