In 1995, community leaders in Wayne County recognized the large number of low-income individuals going without basic healthcare. Emergency rooms were flooded by uninsured patients with severe problems that could be prevented by access to quality, ongoing primary care.

As a result, “Healthcare 2000 Community Clinic” (now known as the Viola Startzman Clinic) was born: a small, volunteer-driven clinic that opened twice weekly for walk-in visits. Accredited as a Rural Health Clinic (RHC) in 2017, the medical clinic has expanded to include primary care, limited specialty care, dental care, psychiatric care and case management. Since its founding nearly 30 years ago, clinic staff have treated more than 80,000 patients and continue to expand care in response to the community’s need.

In 2022, a grant from The Aultman Foundation (TAF) supported an initiative to bring a psychiatric nurse practitioner into the community to care for homeless patients in places where they felt comfortable, such as shelters and meal settings. The program served a total of 142 unique individuals through their outreach/mobile work at several community agency locations. Services included primary medical visits, extensive and ongoing case management, visits with a psychiatric provider and intakes with a counselor/social worker.

TAF selected the clinic to receive the 2023 Vicki Haines Legacy Award. The award highlights a grantee organization whose project enhanced the lives of others and displayed the excellence of service modeled by Vicki Haines, TAF’s founder and former senior vice president. TAF was inspired by the clinic’s commitment to intentionally engaging with the homeless population to reduce barriers to care and provide important primary health and psychiatric services.

When accepting the award in January 2024, Joel Chupp, interim CEO, shared, "We are honored to have been selected for this year's Vicki Haines Legacy Award. To have our work recognized by an organization that knows the challenges of providing excellent healthcare and shares our commitment to improving access to care is truly inspiring. We appreciate the support of The Aultman Foundation and the Haines family."

The Aultman Foundation bestows the recognition annually to celebrate Vicki’s valuable years of leadership and community service throughout Tuscarawas, Stark, Wayne, Holmes and Carroll counties.