Dr. Charles Watts’ Vision Of Health Care For Black Community Celebrates 50th Year!

Durham, NC – Since its founding in 1971 by Dr. Charles D. Watts, Lincoln Community Health Center (LCHC) has provided uninterrupted health care to Durham’s most vulnerable citizens for 50 years. LCHC will be honored with the Legacy Award in recognition of their 50th anniversary at the 9th Annual Lincoln Foundation Legacy Award Luncheon to be held virtually on May 7, 2021, from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm.

Lincoln Community Health Center CEO Philip Harewood spoke to Spectacular Magazine about the Health Center and its history. “The Lincoln Community Health Center is a community governed, federally recognized health center,” he stated. Opened in 1971, the Lincoln Community Health Center has assisted the community as a primary and preventive health care provider and has dedicated itself as a “safety net provider.” The Health Center provides services primarily to those that are uninsured. “For the past year, for example, we served around 40,000 patients and 51% were uninsured,” Harewood said. This is one of the reasons why this Health Center is a vital part of the community.

Dr.  Watts, who was the chief of surgery at Lincoln Hospital at the time of its closing,  founded the Lincoln Community Health Center to serve a community that depended on  Lincoln Hospital for primary care. Eileen Watts Welch, daughter of the late Dr. Watts, emphasized the importance of the Lincoln Hospital to the Black community in Durham and the smaller surrounding communities.

“Lincoln was the hospital we could be served by. There was a population of people that came [to Durham] because of Lincoln.” Welch noted that during the time of the Lincoln Hospital, before its closing and the patients being moved to Durham County General Hospital (now Duke Regional Hospital), it served as one of the only hospitals in the area that did not refuse Black patients. This made a large population of people living in Durham, and small towns like Henderson and Oxford, dependent on the hospital. Her father [Dr. Watts] was extremely aware of this. According to Welch, “He always knew that the Black community in Durham still depended on Lincoln Hospital, even those who worked at Durham County General.”

The shutdown of Lincoln Hospital in 1968 left Durham’s Black community with no place to go for health care. After all, this was during the Civil Rights Movement, one of the most racially turbulent times in the 20th century. So, to ensure that the community could still get the health care they deserved, Dr. Watts decided to start the Lincoln Community Health Center. At first, the Health Center, which was the first community health center in North Carolina, was in the Lincoln Hospital itself. It served the Black community, and through fundraising, LCHC was able to ensure that every patient got the care they needed. Welch, President of the Durham Colored Library, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to informing the public of African-American figures, will present the keynote speech at the Awards Luncheon this year.

Another important figure in LCHC’s history is Carolyn Henderson, a graduate of the Lincoln Hospital School of Nursing and a former Chair of the Board of the Lincoln Community Health Center Foundation. She has been pivotal in the fundraising aspect for the Health Center and has advocated the importance of LCHC in the community. Henderson was quick to mention another important figure responsible for the founding of the Foundation.

“The Foundation was established and created by someone very committed, Joyce Nichols. She had a vision that the center was necessary for the community and it needed funds to provide these services. I started with her and provided philanthropic services,” said Henderson, a graduate of the nursing school housed in the former hospital.  “By having LCHC in our community, it helps reduce the cost of health care for individuals that would otherwise use the high cost of emergency rooms. This truly encourages people to deal with health care in more of a preventive way.” Henderson remains an advisor for the Board and continues to promote the importance of Lincoln Community Health Center and its Foundation.

The 9th Annual Lincoln Foundation Legacy Award Luncheon is hosted by the Lincoln Community Health Center Foundation, a separate entity, and the fundraising arm of the Health Center. The Foundation is entirely operated by volunteers and the luncheon is the main fundraising event for the Community Health Center. This year marks the first year the event will be held virtually.

In addition to special guest speaker Welch, the other confirmed speakers include Congressman David Price, Duke Chancellor Dr. Eugene Washington, Durham County Commissioner Chair Brenda Howerton, and Durham Mayor Steve Schewel. Along with them, Harewood and Dr. Rosemary Jackson, Lincoln Board Chair, will also speak. The musical performances from Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist Nnenna Freelon, John Brown, and Lois Deloatch with Ernest Turner will also be something that everyone attending the virtual Luncheon can look forward to.

Larry Trachtman, Development Director at Lincoln Community Health Center, explained, “We are offering a pickup box lunch with a minimum $50 donation. The order for the lunch will be placed in advance and guests will pick up their lunch from the Washington Duke Inn on May 7th.” 

The Lincoln Community Health Center has continued to carry on Dr. Watt’s vision of providing an important service to those that may not have been able to afford it anywhere else. As a primary and preventive health care provider, they have ensured service for all its patients. The 9th Annual Lincoln Foundation Legacy Awards Luncheon fundraiser is a great way for people to help them in any way they can.

All the proceeds from the event are going to the Lincoln Community Health Center directly. Interested individuals can purchase tickets online, where any donation will be accepted. The RSVP deadline for the event is April 28th. To register or submit donations, CLICK HERE.  

For more information on The Lincoln Community Health Center please visit, lincolnchc.org/