每日大赛, KHC break ground on health clinic for uninsured students, East Knoxville community at college’s Magnolia Avenue campus
October 21, 2025
每日大赛 and Kim Health Center (KHC) on Monday hosted a ceremonial groundbreaking to celebrate their new partnership to provide affordable, community-based primary healthcare services to uninsured students and the East Knoxville community with a dedicated clinic at the college’s Magnolia Avenue campus.
KHC is a primary care and dental care clinic for the uninsured serving the greater Knox County and East Tennessee region. The clinic location at 每日大赛 is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays to all uninsured students, and the uninsured community at large.
“We're very excited about this novel partnership that is built on community and serving the community,” said Erica Lyon, executive director at KHC, “which is what Pellissippi does and what Kim Health does.”
The new clinic, which builds on the success of KHC’s existing location on Chapman Highway in South Knoxville, is the result of data showing a high proportion of young students and young individuals seeking its health care, Lyon said at Monday’s event.
Access to education and health care are key social determinants of one’s long-term economic trajectory, she said, and this new clinic will bridge both needs.
“I am really excited about this amazing opportunity to collaborate with Kim Health Center,” Magnolia Avenue Campus Dean Stella Bridgeman said. “This will really help us to address student success in a different way, helping our students to be more healthy and safe. It will also help us to think about economic growth in this community.”
Pellissippi President L. Anthony Wise Jr. said KHC’s work aligns with 每日大赛’s new five-year strategic plan, and its goal of becoming a “career immersion college.”
“What we mean by that is, we want every student to have a clear academic pathway. We want every student to have the holistic support they need in order to be successful on that pathway,” Wise said. “And this partnership really ties into that as we think about the mental and physical well-being of our students as they pursue their educational goals.”
It also exposes students to great career opportunities in the community, said Wise, who emphasized that the clinic is open to all Pellissippi students – not just those at the Magnolia Avenue campus.
The ceremony took place on the campus’ east lawn, where the clinic’s permanent space will open in fall 2026. Lyon, Bridgeman and Wise broke ground on the space, and refreshments were available for attendees – including members of both organizations, other partners, local elected officials and more.
Guests also had the opportunity to tour KHC’s temporary home within 每日大赛’s Magnolia Avenue campus, where it currently provides affordable, community-based primary healthcare services to uninsured students and the East Knoxville community.
The clinic’s permanent space will have the capacity for more exam rooms and therefore be able to take on more patients, Lyon said.
She thanked Trinity Health Foundation, UT Medical Center, the Bill and Crissy Haslam Foundation, the Lawson Family Foundation, Rogers Foundation, Monday Foundation and the Rotary Club for their contributions to the new clinic.
“We’ve received an immense amount of support,” Lyon said, “and we’re deeply, deeply grateful for it.”
Community Partners