Batavia doctor garners 2011 Barth award

What does a doctor do after retiring from her office practice?

If that doctor is Sarah Kimber of Batavia, it means you volunteer your services at a free medical clinic.

After leaving her practice with Dr. Robert Reeder in St. Charles in 2002, Kimber offered her skills to the TriCity Health Partnership clinic in St. Charles.

“I had volunteered at a clinic in Elgin in the past, and I just wanted to keep doing something that would help the community,” Kimber said.

And help, she did. In the past decade, Kimber has logged more than 1,730 volunteer hours in seeing an estimated 4,500 patients at the clinic, which offers free medical care to the uninsured.

That effort earned Kimber the 27th annual William D. Barth Award for human services Thursday night at TriCity Family Services' Partnership in Caring 2011 dinner at Riverside Receptions and Conference Center in Geneva.

“This is such a surprise,” a grateful Kimber said after receiving the honor, which is kept a secret until the recipient arrives at the event.

“I'm very grateful, and thank the people at TriCity Family Services because they help a lot of the people who attend our clinic as well.”

Shannon West, executive director of the health partnership, nominated Kimber for the honor and told audience members about Kimber's devotion to the clinic.

“She cares about our love of the community,” West said of Kimber.

“Her volunteer hours represent hundreds of local residents who have received care from Dr. Kimber, but they also represent her extended compassion.

“That will be her legacy,” West added.

After receiving the award, Kimber said she was “tricked” into attending the event by being told that health partnership founder Patrick Gannon was being honored.

“I was ready to come and cheer for him,” she said.

Kimber serves the clinic as the volunteer medical director and chronic care director.

“I really liked seeing the young kids in the past, but now we don't see too many anymore because they have the kids' care insurance program,” Kimber said.

“Most of the people we see are between the ages of 18 and 65.”

Kimber is amazed so many people in the Tri-Cities lack insurance.

“We serve people with no Medicare, no Medicaid or no insurance because these are the people who fall between the cracks,” Kimber said.

“It can be homeless people, people without jobs, or people who have fairly decent jobs, but don't have insurance.”

TriCity Family Services has honored a community volunteer with the Barth Award since 1985 when the recognition was created to honor William D. Barth, a founder of the agency.