Dr. Poole dies

GAINESVILLE - A retired, longtime Gainesville doctor, who devoted his retirement years to helping heal the poor, has died.

It was just last month that Dr. Sam Poole was honored at a banquet at Riverside Military Academy for his accomplishments in founding the Good News Clinics, which Congressman Nathan Deal called one of the most successful free clinics in the country.

"The Good News Clinics are a symbol, not only of the character of their founder, but of the doctors, dentists, pharmacists and all of the health professionals who have made this community and this project work so well," said Congressman Deal.

"Since the Good News Clinics receive no governmental assistance, it means they have to rely on private individuals, on civic clubs, on churches, on foundations and businesses to sustain their efforts," Deal continued. "The fact that these private sources have sustained and been generous in their support is a reflection of the character of our community as well."

During May 2005 commencement exercises at Brenau University, Dr. Poole was awarded an honorary Doctors Degree, only the 19th given in the school's 127-year history.

The degree was awarded after nomination from a selection committee of Brenau trustees, administrators and faculty and a unanimous full faculty vote. John W. Jacobs Jr., then-chairman of the Brenau Board of Trustees, conferred the degree.

"He has received many awards, including Physician of the Year and Gainesville Man of the Year. His alma mater, Emory University School of Medicine gave him their Distinguished Medical Achievement Award. And, tonight (Friday) Brenau University takes great pleasure in culminating his hometown's appreciation for a dedicated lifetime of service to others."

Dr. Poole was a 1949 graduate of Emory and served as a member of the Cardiology Department at the Emory University Clinic.

He was also a full-time faculty member in the School of Medicine at Emory before entering private practice. In 1972, Dr. Poole and two other physicians founded the Northeast Georgia Diagnostic Clinic in Gainesville.

Emory says the award is conferred upon "the individual who has achieved distinction in research, teaching, medical practice, or administration in an academic or public institution." Nominations are solicited from alumni, members of the faculty, and the Dean's Office.

Dr. Poole was instrumental in the development of one of the first community hospital coronary care units in the state at Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, serving as the unit's director from 1968-1990. One of his major interests has been teaching and training nurses in all aspects of cardiovascular disease.

In a 2002 interview with AccessNorthGa.com, Dr. Poole said since opening in 1993, the number of people treated at the Good News Clincs had grown tremendously.

He said it was about 30-40 a week when it opened. At the time of the interview, however, he said it was not unusual to see twice that number is seen on a single day.

During the interview, Jack Hodge, a member of the clinics' board of directors, said the clinics were probably saving the local medical community anywhere from $4-6 million a year.

"(We are keeping people) out of the hospitals, we keep them out of the emergency rooms," Dr. Poole said. "This is a tremendous saving on the medical dollar."

But, Dr. Poole said Georgia doesn't stack up well when it comes to providing such services.

"We are way behind," he says. "North Carolina has 36 clinics; Virginia, 33; South Carolina, 22; Florida, 20."

Hodge and Dr. Poole emphasized that the clinic doesn't just serve people who are too lazy too work and are living off welfare and whatever other handouts they can get.

They admitted that there are some of that description among the clients, but, they said many are are hardworking people, who, for whatever reason, have a real problem coping in society. Many are people who are employed but can no longer afford the health insurance their employer offers or have not access to health insurance.

A memorial service for Dr. Poole will be held Friday at 2:00. (A full obituary can be found elsewhere on this site.)