It was 1970 when the locked doors of "Mother Higgins," the old county juvenile detention center, opened to new dreams.
Just south of West Congress Street, between the freeway and the Santa Cruz River, a grass-roots clinic would provide affordable, high-quality medical care to Tucson families - for free when needed.
El Rio Neighborhoood Health Center emerged from the social and political struggles of the 1960s. What started as a fledgling clinic, with an annual budget below $2 million, has grown into an $82 million operation. It employs more than 800 people and is spread over 18 sites across town.
If ever there was a success story in Tucson, this is one of the best.
"When I look back, I think those were the fun days," said Miguel Rojas, a founding member of what is now El Rio Community Health Center.
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But they weren't really fun. "They were hairy days," said Rojas, a current El Rio board member who also is acting mayor of South Tucson.
Rojas was one of the community and health activists who in the late 1960s began pushing for better medical services for Tucson's low-income residents.
"If you had no money, you were pretty much out of luck," said Rojas.
Propelled by the '60s war on poverty - and programs such as Model Cities, headed by the late Hector Morales - individuals in the community advocated for a community clinic. The late Octavio Marquez, an attorney, helped the group create its bylaws. Julia Soto, a community activist, brought passion to the project.
Critical support came from the late Dr. Herbert K. Abrams, head of the University of Arizona's Department of Family and Community Medicine in the College of Medicine. Abrams was also a founding member of the college.
Rojas recalled contentious meetings among the clinic's early supporters from Tucson's Chicano, Yaqui and black neighborhoods, and between the group and the federal government.
He said after much pushing, planning and talking with the federal government, El Rio opened its clinic on the freeway frontage road and in 1975 moved into a new, $5 million building at 839 W. Congress St.
However, while the early clinic's aim was high, it began to misfire, Rojas said.
There was poor management. The board was inattentive. Funds were found missing. The clinic overreached its mission.
By the early 1980s, the dream of providing quality medical care to the underserved was itself almost underwater. El Rio filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
About that time the board hired Robert Gomez as El Rio's director. By all accounts, the decision was lifesaving for the clinic. Gomez brought in a team of administrators and medical staff that revived El Rio.
By the late '80s, the nonprofit clinic was in the black, said Celia Sarabia-Hightower, a native Tucsonan and former nurse who joined El Rio's administration as director of finance in 1987, managing a $4 million annual budget with fewer than 200 employees.
El Rio has not lost money since then, she said.
Under Gomez's direction and increasing community support, El Rio grew. Today there are clinics from northwest Tucson to the southeast side. There are clinics around the city and on the Pascua Yaqui reservation.
El Rio offers dental and pharmacy services. It has school-based clinics and an immunology center.
Its growth came without sacrificing care to clients, said Hightower, currently the chief financial officer.
El Rio has been recognized nationally as one of the top community health clinics. It also has been innovative in using technology to assist clients, Hightower said.
"Our clients deserve the best physicians, nurses and staff," she said.
Good enough for Hightower's family, who could have gone elsewhere for medical care.
The myth about El Rio, which provides about $12 million in free care annually, is that it is only for people without insurance or underinsured.
However, that population is 30 percent of all clients. The other 70 percent are patients with state, Medicare or commercial insurance, said Hightower.
Under the guidance of Executive Director Kathy Byrne, El Rio will continue to grow to meet Tucson's expanding medical needs. Public support from El Rio's foundation - from individuals to businesses - ensures that the hope of a few people four decades ago will continue for years to come.
Ernesto Portillo Jr. is editor of La Estrella de Tucsón. He can be reached at netopjr@azstarnet.com or 573-4187.
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