Long-standing St. Joseph health care clinic undergoes name change
By Leah Rainwater
Known as the oldest free and charitable clinic in the U.S., the Social Welfare Board is changing things up.
The 111-year-old program officially changed its name to the “Stuber Health Center” on Monday, June 24.
“The word ‘welfare’ lost its meaning and has even insulted those living in that unfortunate situation,” said Latha Varghese, executive director of the Stuber Health Center. “So here we stand, renaming the Social Welfare Board to ‘Stuber Health Center’. A beacon of hope for our community.”
The name change coincides with the services that Dr. Robert Stuber provided before he died in September 2023.
To some, the name change means a lot to be able to remember a man they looked up to.
“I came to join Dr. Stuber in about 1977 and spent almost 50 years working with him and collaborating. So I know him very well,” said Dr. Jay McMillen, a doctor at the Stuber Health Center. “I use the letter ‘H’ to remember his characteristics. He was a happy warrior for the underserved and less fortunate. He was a humble person, he put on no airs, he was honest, he was hard-working.”
McMillen said after Dr. Daniel Morton created and named the Social Welfare Board in 1913, the renaming marked a moment in history.
“I was thinking about this, Dr. Morton in 1913, think about that, I’m sure they had a ceremony at the time, and so now 100-plus years have gone by and just think about 100-plus years from now, what things will look like. So it’s a moment in history actually, St. Joe history,” McMillen said.
The center chose June 24 to change its name for a special reason.
“So 1913, June 24, is the first day that Social Welfare Board came into existence,” Varghese said. “So that’s one of the monumental reasons we decided to change the name today.”
A ribbon-cutting ceremony and tours of the facility provided awareness about the center’s service to the public.
“We are here to serve the community here and those who need all of those health care services, we are here. We have a wonderful team of providers and staff and we are willing to help you,” Varghese said. “So it’s not just about health care, so we want to help them navigate the health system, find the needed resources and achieve long-term help.”
The Stuber Health Center has made it a mission to serve the “underserved” throughout St. Joseph and Buchanan County.
McMillen said he doesn’t have any plans to stop working at the Stuber Health Center.
“As long as my heart keeps beating … I have no plans to stop what I’m doing and I think we have a really great group of people down here providing a great service for the community,” said McMillen.
The center provides resources like routine primary care, dental care, specialty health services and more.
