DurhamCares

What

The SHC was formed to provide medical and dental care to the residents of the Durham Rescue Mission and Good Samaritan Inn, partner shelters housing over 700 homeless men, women, and children each year. They are a group of medical professionals and other volunteers who are bringing together the resources of area churches to meet the health care needs of the homeless in the name of Jesus Christ.

Why

It’s clear to all of us that access to medical care for the uninsured and underinsured is critical.  There’s a huge gap to fill when it comes to appropriate health care for those who may not have access to it as others do.  Preventative and appropriate health care can also help arrest some of the other cycles of poverty and need that we see in society including homelessness, addiction and abuse.  Not to mention the burden that tax payers bear for the impact of a lack of care for so many.  For all of these reasons we are excited to be partnering with Samaritan Health Center.  Even more though we know that their desire to serve the whole person - physical and spiritual - is the key to imapacting lives and turning the tide for so many of the people they serve.

Initially, the Samaritan Health Center will serve residents and former residents of the Durham Rescue Mission who lack a stable source of primary medical or dental care, or adequate health insurance. In the future we plan on serving other underserved populations in Durham as needs become apparent and resources are available.

Health Clinic

• Facilities within the Good Samaritan Inn include up to five exam rooms, a laboratory, a full eye clinic, and facilities for counseling and health education.  
• Arrangements with local physicians are being made for subspecialty referrals. 
• All care is will provided by volunteer physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician’s assistants, and other medical professionals. 
• Men from the downtown location will be provided transportation to and from the GSI clinic location. 
• The clinic will be open 2-3 days per week initially.

 Dental Clinic

• Dental care is provided free of charge to residents several days per month by volunteer dentists, hygienists and assistants as well as other support staff.
• Currently two full dental exam rooms, plus x-ray are available. At least one dentist in every specialty has offered services and we conitnue to gear up our supplies for all the specialties.

Mark Piehl, MD
Founder
Dr. Piehl has led the development of the Samaritan Health Center since its inception in 2006. Dr. Piehl received his M.D. and Masters in Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1995. He is board certified in pediatrics, internal medicine, and pediatric critical care, and is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Dr. Piehl serves as pediatric intensivist at WakeMed Health and Hospitals in Raleigh and is Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the UNC School of Medicine. He also serves as Medical Director of the Pediatric Diabetes Program at WakeMed and helped create WakeMed’s highly successful Energize diabetes prevention program.  Dr. Piehl is a member of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Durham, and lives in Chapel Hill with his wife and 3 children.

Jim Eaker
Board Member
Dr. Jim Eaker (pronounced like acre) is a 1985 graduate of the UNC School of Dentistry in Chapel Hill, and also completed his undergraduate degree at UNC. Dr. Eaker completed the three-year mastership program at the Center for Professional Development in Scottsdale, Arizona in 1993, and has been in private dental practice in Durham since 1986. Dr. Eaker is experienced in all levels of general dentistry, and now focuses primarily on adult restorative treatment, with special emphasis on patient comfort, good diagnosis, good communication, and esthetic dentistry.  Dr. Eaker has been active in the Durham-Orange County Dental Society and served as President in 2003. He is a member of the American Dental Association, the North Carolina Dental Society, is a past member of the Durham Jaycees Board of Directors, and served as chair of the Board of Deacons at the Chapel Hill Bible Church in 2002. He is a life member of the Christian Dental Society and has participated in mission trips to Africa and St. Maarten. He and his family are members of First Baptist Church in Durham. Dr. Eaker has led all aspects of the development of the dental clinic at the Good Samaritan Inn, and has been providing free dental care to homeless residents for several years.

Oscar Aylor
Board Member
Oscar Aylor is the Director of Professional Development in the Department of Health Policy and Administration at the UNC School of Public Health in Chapel Hill. His particular responsibilities include teaching, fund-raising, career counseling and placement, student mentoring, alumni relations, and relationship development among healthcare professionals and organizations in the Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states. Mr. Aylor has over 40 years of healthcare experience including hospital leadership positions at both domestic and overseas institutions and faculty positions at Appalachian State University and UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and has worked as a hospital consultant for both U.S. and international healthcare organizations. Aylor has served on the boards of several hospital, civic and community organizations, and is a past board chair of Lumiere Medical Ministries, a relief and development agency working in the Caribbean region.  Mr. Aylor received his BA degree from the University of Virginia and his MS in Health Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Tom Hahn
Board Member
Tom is an Executive Vice President of ICAP Energy, LLC, the world’s largest OTC energy derivatives broker. Prior to his position at ICAP, Tom worked with Henry Kaestner as a co-founder of both Chapel Hill Brokers and Chapel Hill Broadband. Tom has been active in numerous local ministries and charities, including the Good Samaritan Inn, the Samaritan Health Center, and the African Enterprise Leadership Training Center in South Africa. Tom has been a member of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Durham for 10 years. He lives in Hillsborough with his wife Jennifer and their two sons.

Henry Kaestner
Board Member
Henry is the CEO of Bandwidth.com, a local telecommunications company. Prior to co-founding Bandwidth.com with his partner, David Morken, Henry was a principal in Chapel Hill Brokers, Chapel Hill Broadband and Bandwidth International. In addition to his work on DurhamCares, Henry is a member of the Local Outreach Committee and the Church of the Good Shepherd in Durham, is on boards and involved in several Durham based charities and is actively involved in missions work in South Africa through his work for the African Enterprise Leadership Training Centre in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Henry lives in Durham with his wife Kimberley and their 3 sons.

Ernie Mills
Board Member
Durham Rescue Mission: Founder and Executive director of one of the leading not-for-profits in Durham. 

Samaritan_Health_Center_1Q10_Report.pdf

Samaritan_Health_Center_2Q10_Report.pdf

Samaritan Health Center 2009 Final Report.pdf