New River is perhaps best known in the Coalition Story as the name of the great bluegrass band, the New River Boys. For many years, besides local musicians Tommy Philips and others, the bass player for the band was Rick Davidson. Rick also served as medical backup for the health fairs and eventually as the medical director of a network of clinics that grew from the health fairs.
The town itself is located on Highway 27, a main artery that runs through Tennessee’s Cumberland Plateau between Alabama/Georgia and Kentucky.
The health fair in New River was especially remarkable for its extreme inaccessibility. Roads into and out of New River were often non-functional, washed out by flooding and exacerbated by poor maintenance. Nonetheless, 436 people were examined between July 12th and July 16th the summer of 1971. Students also collected detailed data in New River about clinical findings by age and gender.
Other nearby communities where the Coalition conducted health fairs included Oneida, Robbins, Sunbright, and Deer Lodge.
See the 1971 SHC Annual Report for more information.
Related People:
J. Thomas “Tom” John
Related Stories:
Notes from the road: Mountain People’s Health Councils
Related Resources/Links:
