When a small group of healthcare professionals, legislative and community leaders and other volunteers sat down in 2004 to discuss for the first time the possibility of starting a free medical clinic that would serve Suffolk and the surrounding areas, they could hardly have imagined the great success the Western Tidewater Free Clinic would eventually experience.

But on Wednesday, 10 years to the day after the opening of the clinic that grew from those discussions, it was clear that WTFC has become a valuable health care asset for all of Western Tidewater. What’s more, the dream of offering free health care to those who could not otherwise afford it has only picked up steam during the last decade of the clinic’s operations.

From the small rental house the clinic occupied when it opened in 2007, it has grown into its own space on Meade Parkway. That move was precipitated by the growth in the number of patients served, and the growth has continued unabated since the 2009 move.

The clinic set new records in 2016 with 18,022 patient visits and $5.3 million in dispensed medications, Executive Director Chet Hart said during a celebration on Wednesday, and it is on track to set new records in 2017.

Since it opened, and with the help of community partners such as the Obici Healthcare Foundation, the clinic has served more than 4,700 patients.

These patients were provided medications at no cost to them, totaling more than $32 million worth based on average retail value, Hart said.

But there are still plenty of people in Western Tidewater who need the clinic’s services and qualify for them but still have not become patients. Clinic staff and volunteers receive an average of 1,400 to 1,500 patients annually, but according to available demographics, approximately 8,000 Western Tidewater citizens could be eligible for their services, according to Stephie Broadwater, chairman of the WTFC board of directors.

Broadwater and the board have set a goal to double the clinic’s patient load, which would require more outreach programs and an expanded facility.

“Our 10th anniversary is a perfect time to take another leap of faith, as the founders of Western Tidewater Free Clinic did in 2007 when the doors opened,” Broadwater said. “I’m excited about the possibilities of what we can accomplish together.”

What the steering committee began in 2004 surely constituted a leap of faith. We have no doubt a similar leap today will prove similarly successful.

Congratulations on 10 years. We fully expect the next 10 to be even better.