Access to quality medical facilities is not only a necessity, it is a foundational item in a neighborhood’s overall wellbeing. That is why the opening of the new Popoff Clinic on Detroit’s Eastside is a welcome addition to the area.
Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine recently took the former Vanguard Family Healthcare clinic on Mack Avenue and reopened it as the Popoff Clinic. Since its January opening, the Popoff Clinic has been busy, officials said, an encouraging sign that this
Popoff clinic medical director Derrick Williamson, D.O. said he sees this practice as an ideal training site for resident physicians, and will allow him to provide care to more people.
“We provide more than just health care at this clinic,” Williamson says. “We plan to bring back the feeling of the family physician who knows the neighborhood.”
Serving as the University’s first clinic outside the Lansing region, it will provide care for eastside residents, as well as clinical learning opportunities for osteopathic medicine students and doctors in training through the Detroit Wayne County Health Authority.
The Mack Avenue clinic is a gift from the family of Michael Popoff, a Wayne County native and family physician who cared for patients at this location for 47 years. Following his sudden passing in April 2015, Popoff’s family offered the clinic to MSU to ensure that residents in the medically underserved community will continue receiving care.
The clinic was a gift to MSUCOM from the family of Michael Popoff, D.O., a longtime family physician serving the community, who died in 2015. William Strampel, D.O., MSUCOM dean, said there are many possibilities for the clinic. “The future could be unlimited. Michigan State could have a big primary care presence in that area and I think ultimately we are going to look at prenatal issues. We may end up looking at a nurse practitioner or an obstetrics and gynecology residency.”
Dr. Williamson is working with State Rep. Alberta Tinsley-Talabi to create a community engagement strategy that expands awareness throughout the Eastside. “It is important that this area have an active medical practice and help meet the many needs of our patients, including resolving some of the social determinants affecting their conditions.”
He also sees the clinic as contributing to changing the perception of Detroit, and specifically the Eastside. Dr. Williamson, a Detroit native, says, “I’m striving to change the perception of the city. I want to introduce a new perception through community-based family medicine. This clinic will become a familiar place that people can come for quality medic al care in a neighborly atmosphere.”
Dr. Williamson says medical residents will learn a great deal as they support him in providing medical care for the clinic’s patients. “Our residents will learn a lot at this training site. They will have the opportunity to treat patients of all ages, genders, and medical histories. They will be able to increase their diagnostic, communicative, and compassion for a population that has been without a physician in this facility for over a year.”
As one of Authority Health’s faculty physicians, Dr. Williamson concludes that there is added value to the presence of MSUCOM on Detroit’s Eastside. “Many years ago, my son expressed to me the responsibility that I have as a physician to share my knowledge with those who are following in the footsteps of the Osteopathic profession. It is fulfilling to see the growth of the students and the residents.”
“The future could be unlimited,” Strampel said. “Michigan State could have a big primary care presence in that area and I think ultimately we are going to look at prenatal issues. We may end up looking at a nurse practitioner or an OB-GYN residency.”
Linda Popoff, widow of the late physician, is pleased with the university’s decision to reopen the clinic and to carry on his legacy as a family and neighborhood doctor.
“I’m so glad that they agreed and came to realize what a benefit it would be for them and for the community,” she said. “I always thought it would be great for students and for the local residents. It is located in a medically underserved area and many patients don’t have transportation. For a year we had people calling to ask, ‘When are you going to get a doctor?’ It’s great we can say, ‘We have a doctor.’”
The Popoff Clinic is located on 10809 Mack Avenue, Detroit. For information, contact 313-824-1000.
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