The last time Bill Lascheid "pulled an all nighter" was 54 years ago in medical school. This time it wasn't final exams that kept him up past dawn. It was the excitement of aonce-in-a-lifetime idea that he had been working on with his wife, Nancy, and a few close friends.

It was an idea that would:

Help address a serious medical problem in our community
Inspire and unite doctors and nurses in Collier County
Enrich the lives of patients as well as volunteers
Take advantage of and challenge the Lascheid's leadership experience in both medicine and community service

Conceived in the Lascheids' living room and fueled by the shared enthusiasm of friends, the Neighborhood Health Clinic was born in November 1998, just two short months after Bill and Nancy retired from their full-time dermatology practice in Naples. "From day one, it was clear that this was something special because it immediately took on a life of its own," said Nancy. The concept of a Clinic for the working poor of Collier County gained momentum and attracted supporters who helped to clear what seemed like indecipherable and insurmountable obstacles: state regulations, initial funding, real estate, equipment and staffing. With lots of help from professionals and volunteers in the community, the Clinic was able to open its doors in April 1999. Its first site was a dilapidated former storefront in the nearly vacated Grand Central Station. A group of stalwart medical and non-medical volunteers (many still with the Clinic) provided Clinic services to a few hundred patients in the first month and now, a cumulative total of more than 16,000. In June 2002, the Clinic moved into its spacious and modern Clinic at 120 Goodlette, Road, North. The continuing generosity of key donors and the community has allowed the Clinic to build a facility with specialized functional areas for interviews and patient evaluation, record-keeping, examination and treatment rooms, prescription medication room, support offices, and educational center.

The Lascheid's vision for the Clinic, which still guides the daily activities, includes the following key components:

The quality of care will be impeccable and each patient will be treated with dignity and respect.

The patients will receive what they need to heal their bodies: a private consultation with a doctor, any required medical testing and the prescribed medications. For this, they will make a nominal contribution (equal to one hour's wage).

Each patient will receive benefits for the soul - a touch by a staff member, a handshake and eye contact from the doctor, humor and gentleness from the translators and always a smile from caregivers throughout the Clinic.

The Clinic will accept no money from local, state or federal government.

The Clinic does not duplicate services offered elsewhere in the County but will help direct people to those resources.

After five years of overseeing the Clinic's direction, speaking on its behalf throughout Collier County and beyond, recruiting and training medical volunteer's, and delivering health care themselves at weekly clinics, the Lascheids are retiring from full-time Clinic participation. At a time in life when they had already given to the community through their respective medical professions, nurtured the inclination, and earned the right to relax into older age, Bill and Nancy Lascheid sat at the kitchen table and devised the plan that would become the Neighborhood Health Clinic. It's now time for the second chance at retirement - the Clinic family will be watching to see if it sticks!

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