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Health center named for ‘ghost doctor' serves thousands of patients in Nashville
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center upholds the legacy of a doctor once known as the 'ghost surgeon' by serving thousands of patients every year.
'Last year was a stellar year, we were almost at 19,000 patients, compared to about 17,000 patients in 2023, and so we're continuing to grow,' said Katina Beard, CEO of Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center.
The health center has two locations in addition to their main building in North Nashville, which is where Dr. Temicka Logan's career came full circle, serving dental patients in her own hometown.
'I am from Nashville, born and raised,' she said. 'I had braces in high school and I just loved how it shaped my teeth. I have a different smile so I was a different person, a more confident person.'
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Dr. Logan is now dental director at the MWCHC.
'I was too one of those families that needed help, so to be able to help other families like I was is amazing,' said Dr. Logan. 'I just want to be able to pour into the community as they poured into me.'
The historical marker outside the building on 14th Avenue North and Jefferson Street states that Dr. Matthew Walker Sr. graduated from Meharry Medical College in 1934 and became chairman of the surgery department.
'He was known across the nation as a stellar provider,' Beard explained. 'He was also known as the ghost surgeon. He would be called in during the night to perform surgeries on individuals in hospitals that were white that didn't allow for Black physicians and surgeons. So he would come in the cover of night and perform these very difficult surgeries and save lives.'
Dr. Walker was pivotal in securing a 1968 federal grant to start the Meharry Neighborhood Health Center. It was named after him a couple years later.
'I think the organization embodies his characteristics, his integrity, his vision,' said Beard.
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MWCHC's breadth of services includes primary medical services, dental services, behavioral health services, lab services and radiology services, which includes mammography.
The center also has an on-site pharmacy in Nashville. Additionally, MWCHC has a sliding fee program, which is based on household income and the number of living in a home, but they also accept insurance.
'It just warms my heart that we are able to help them when they come because sometimes they come and they say, 'Well, I know they're not going to help me,' recalled Dr. Logan. 'No, we are. We're going to help you and we're going to do the best we can do our ability.'
Given all those services, the center also helps supply the workforce needed to support their patients and others.
'We probably train a couple hundred people in some discipline in some way through our various sites, and so we've held true to those tenants, providing quality healthcare and training the workforce forward,' said Beard.
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In addition to Nashville, MWCHC centers can also be found in Smyrna and Clarksville along with a mobile unit that goes out into the community. Beard told News 2 the center and its partners are working to provided all these services regardless of someone's ability, but added that work is getting harder.
'We've already lost about $600,000 of grant dollars that we had budgeted, and so that has caused a significant shift in the work that we thought we would be able to do,' said Beard. 'Although we're tracking along, we are tracking along cautiously, watching to see if there will be any other changes to our dollars, locally, statewide or federally.'
On Aug. 7, the Dr. Matthew Sr. Legacy Breakfast will be held at the Cal Turner Family Center to benefit MWCHC. For more information about the event, call 615-340-1292 or email Cathy Hunt at chunt@
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