16 CASE C. W. Williams Health Center: A Community Asset The Metrolina Health Center was started by Dr. Charles Warren “C. W.” Williams and several medical colleagues with a $25,000 grant from the Department of Health and Human Services. Concerned about the health needs of the poor and wanting to make the world a better place for those less fortunate, Dr. Williams, Charlotte’s first African American to serve on the surgical staff of Charlotte Memorial Hospital (Charlotte’s largest hospital), enlisted the aid of Dr. John Murphy, a local dentist; Peggy Beckwith, director of the Sickle Cell Association; and health planner Bob Ellis to create a health facility for the unserved and underserved population of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. The health facility received its corporate status in 1980. Dr. Williams died in 1982 when the health facility was still in its infancy. Thereafter, the Metrolina Comprehensive Health Center was renamed the C. W. Williams Health Center. “We’re celebrating our fifteenth year of operation at C. W. Williams, and I’m celebrating my first full year as CEO,” commented Michelle Marrs. “I’m feeling really good about a lot This case was written by Linda E. Swayne, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and Peter M. Ginter, University of Alabama at Birmingham.