CANTON − In 1971, there was little, if any, debate about the effectiveness of the measles vaccine.
Instead, there were concerns that some children were entering school unvaccinated and not receiving proper checkups.
The Canton Junior League took up the cause and opened a Well Baby Clinic in a converted home in the city.
Dr. Margaret B. Shipley, a pioneering North Canton pediatrician, volunteered her services, overseeing the clinic for its first 10 years.
The clinic was renamed in Shipley’s honor in 1979. She died in 2007 at 92.
This year, the Margaret B. Shipley Child Health Clinic at 919 Second St. NE is celebrating 55 years of offering comprehensive care for children with a series of special events, starting with a “Community Baby Supply Drive” throughout the month of March.
“Margaret’s mission was to not only provide care in a clinical setting but also have boots on the ground and in the homes of families to truly understand the needs and dynamics of the family,” said Amy Weisbrod, Shipley’s executive director since 2022.
Weisbrod succeeded Lori Inskeep, who expanded Shipley into a full-service clinic during her 30-year tenure.
“So, I knew what Shipley was, but I didn’t really understand just how large of a population they’re serving and how thoughtful that care is,” Weisbrod said. “Stepping into this role has been really wonderful in that sense; just seeing how committed this entire staff is to carrying out the mission.”
Shipley serves children from 53 ZIP codes and 12 counties, including Carroll, Summit, Tuscarawas and Wayne. There were 5,300 patient visits last year.
“We’re at the core, a pediatric clinic, but so much more,” said Jennifer George, Shipley’s director of advancement. “We offer wraparound support. We are a safety-net provider for children with no insurance or Medicaid. We have board-certified providers offering best-in-class care.”
A wraparound approach to care
Weisbrod and George said they’re proud that Shipley takes a wraparound approach to patient-families, addressing a wide variety of concerns which might be barriers to health — from baby supplies to transportation, which George said is often the largest hurdle for families.
“We like to think of it as ‘wrapping our arms’ around families,” George said. “We recognize that when a family comes to us, there might be a lot more extenuating circumstances that are related to that child’s health, such as housing, food, security, transportation. You know, is the house, safe? Is there a gun in the home? Can we give you a gunlock to keep your guns secured? So, our care coordinator really works to help a family with all of those services because we recognize that if we can help the family, that is benefiting the health of the child.”
In 1973, Shipley moved into the former Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School which was repurposed into a campus for social service agencies. Today, Shipley, and Child & Adolescent Services, a pediatric mental-health provider, occupy the building.
Shipley has an annual budget of $1.3 million, a third of which comes from insurance, a third from local foundations and charitable donations, and a third constituting what Weisbrod calls “in-kind value,” that is the dollar value of free services such as vaccinations. Families who pay cash are charged on a sliding scale.
Shipley has a pediatrician, nurse practitioners and certified pediatric mental health specialist. Weisbrod added that they hope someday to offer oral care because some providers are “capped out” on Medicaid patients.
Noting that the rising cost of health care is impacting all providers, Weisbrod said this year’s charitable donation goal is $450,000.
In addition to clinical services, Shipley also hires “care coordinators” who visit patients’ homes so they can better understand the needs and dynamics of their families, which helps with comprehensive care.
Generational patients
Rachel Caldwell is not just a care coordinator — she’s a former Shipley pediatric patient.
“My son was a patient, too,” she said, making them one of several “generational” patients who have been served at Shipley.
Caldwell sees her job as bridging the gap between a family’s needs and Shipley’s resources.
“The help in our community is much-needed,” she said.
Weisbrod said Shipley partners with a number of agencies and organizations, including Child & Adolescent, the Canton Public Health’s Thrive program, Access Health which offers bilingual services, and Cribs for Kids.
“The Heart of Ohio Diaper Bank is an amazing partner,” she said. “When we’re not having our baby supply drives, we’ve got Heart of Ohio, who has been wonderful. We get families when they come in and you know that they need diapers, they need wipes. Babies are expensive. So, we try to fill that that need.”
George stressed that Shipley offers much more than vaccines and checkups.
“Despite the ‘clinic’ in our name, we are as a whole, a pediatric provider,” she said. “We’re not a drop-in clinic where, you know, ‘pop in’ just for a vaccine. We don’t have walk-in services. Our goal is to make sure that regardless of a family’s circumstances, their child deserves full pediatric care. When my kids were little, I wasn’t looking for a doctor, just to pop in.
“You want a physician who knows your child and can follow them through their journey from infancy to adulthood, which I think is really something that’s valuable. Often in lower-income areas, sometimes that’s not available. The impetus of it is that we want to make sure that every family has that opportunity, and that’s the role we’re filling.”
Staff nurse Amber LeMasters was asked why she’s been with the Shipley Clinic for five years.
“It’s having the kids being excited to come to the doctor and not being scared of their visits,” she said.
George said the Shipley is successful because of its dedicated staff such as LeMasters.
“We’re always going the extra mile because we recognize our families need help,” she said. “It’s wonderful to build relationships with families because you build trust. Every day, you get to make some profound impact because you have that trust. It’s a really rewarding experience.”
To learn more about the Shipley Child Health Clinic, visit https://shipleyclinic.org/ or call 330-453-3386.
Reach Charita at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com. On Twitter: @cgoshayREP.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: ‘A pediatric clinic, but so much more.’ Shipley Health Clinic celebrates 55 years
Reporting by Charita M. Goshay, Canton Repository / The Repository
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
