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New health clinic bears name of slain boy
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HONORABLE PLACE: Dr. Ronald Dwinnells, far left, chief executive officer of Ono Health Ohio, watches as Lloyd McCoy Sr. and Pam McCoy, at right, unveil the sign for the new medical/dental facility in the Southeast Warren neighborhood. It was announced Monday the facility would be named after the McCoys’ son, Lloyd Jr., who was shot and killed earlier this year. At far right is U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Niles, D-17th.
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U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan at a name unveiling in Warren on Monday. It was announced Monday the facility would be named after the Lloyd McCoy Jr., who was shot and killed earlier this year.
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Lloyd McCoy Jr.
Lloyd McCoy Jr. Memorial
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Students at Willard School in Warren, OH planted a tree and held a memorial for 6 th grader Lloyd McCoy Jr. who accidentally killed in a drive-by shooting in Warren. The event was held May 22 which is Lloyd's birthday.
The health center is expected to open in spring 2010.
WARREN — “His name will live on, and it won’t be associated with tragedy, but with something positive,” Pam McCoy said of her 11-year-old son, Lloyd McCoy Jr.
His name was given to One Health Ohio’s new medical/dental clinic in southeast Warren.
Lloyd was about a month shy of his 12th birthday when he died April 21, 2009, the victim of retaliatory gunfire April 13 at his sister’s home on Wick Street S.E.
“We always knew Lloyd would one day be something special. He spoke of being a pro football player. His dreams were unfulfilled, but this is fulfillment of dreams unseen by him,” his mother said.
“Love planted a seed in Dr. [Ronald] Dwinnells and Beth [Haddle] to have them name the clinic for Lloyd. I can’t say enough. This helps me,” said Lloyd McCoy Sr., his father.
“Around Christmas, I’m having a horrible month. He was my best friend,” McCoy said of his son.
Dr. Dwinnells is chief executive officer, and Haddle is chief operating officer of One Health Ohio, formerly known as Ohio North East Health Systems.
Lloyd even played neighborhood football on the property of the clinic, which is housed in the former Trumbull Metropolitan Housing Authority property at 1977 Niles Road S.E.
“The idea to name the clinic after Lloyd Jr. was Beth’s,” said Dr. Dwinnells. “We hope this will make the memory of Lloyd’s life positive.”
The name of the clinic, One Health Ohio Lloyd McCoy Community Medical and Dental Center, was unveiled Monday with numerous McCoy family members and other dignitaries looking on.
Lloyd’s death touched the whole community.
The city of Warren named a field in his honor at Burbank Park, where he played baseball; and the Niles Little Red Dragons retired his jersey, No. 86, his mother said.
Dr. Dwinnells said he is confident the clinic also will make a significant positive impact on One Health Ohio and the Warren community.
Renovation of the building will create 12 construction jobs, and when it is finished, it will require about 20 new jobs, he said.
There are 38,000 people, 40 percent of whom are at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level, in the One Health Ohio catchment area of Southeast Warren, Niles, Mineral Ridge, Girard and Northwest Youngstown, Dr. Dwinnells said.
The Lloyd McCoy Medical and Dental Clinic, expected to be opened in the spring of 2010, will house nine new medical-examination rooms and six dental operatories. An operatory is a room or other area with special equipment and facilities.
The clinic will initially occupy about 12,000 square feet of the 30,000 square feet TMHA building. The renovation will be financed by an $880,910 federal stimulus grant. The clinic’s first-year operating budget will be $2.1 million, Dr. Dwinnells said.
A family practitioner, a dentist and dental hygienist and support staff will provide services initially, and plans call for the addition of podiatry, obstetrics/gynecology, mental health and hearing and speech services, and a retail pharmacy is being discussed, officials said.
Haddle said the center is not a free clinic.
“As is the case of our other facilities, the center will accept Medicare, Medicaid and some private and commercial insurance plans and offers a sliding-fee scale for the medically uninsured who qualify,” she said.
U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Niles, D-17th, described Dr. Dwinnells and Haddle as the “driving force” behind the clinic.
Part of the health-care-reform bill is to put money behind this clinic, which manages illnesses before they become more expensive, Ryan explained. “So many kids in this area will now have access to health care. I can’t think of a better investment, and I’m thrilled with the possibilities of this facility,” he said.
“This is positive news for the community in terms of jobs and access to health care. The compassion of Dr. Dwinnells and Ryan for the health of this community can’t be overstated,” said Warren Mayor Michael O’Brien.
Don Emerson, executive director of TMHA, said when the building was vacated, his board wanted to fill it with something that would provide other services and fill a long-term need.
“It was important that we find the right partner, and One Health Ohio is it. It will benefit the whole neighborhood,” Emerson said.
One Health Ohio also operates clinics in Southwest Warren and Alliance, and has its headquarters at the Youngstown Community Health Clinic on Wick Avenue in Youngstown.
alcorn@vindy.com