Welcome to Simpkins Community Health & Education Center

Often people in urban, rural and underserved neighborhoods do not have access to convenient, affordable medical and fitness services. Dr. C.O. Simpkins, a local dentist and community leader, worked with Willis Knighton President James K. Elrod to bring healthcare services to residents living in the area around Dr. Martin Luther King Drive. Dr. and Mrs. Simpkins donated the land next to Southern University and Willis Knighton agreed to construct and operate the clinic. The facility originally called the WK Community Health & Education Center when it opened in 1995 was later renamed in honor of the Simpkins family. It has served as a model for Project NeighborHealth Clinics, taking healthcare outside the walls of the hospital and making it more convenient and accessible.