After observing a similar clinic in Nashville, Tennessee, while attending medical school, Dr. Alan Williams had a vision of Columbus, Mississippi, having a medical clinic for the underserved in the community. In 1999, under the leadership of Dr. Williams, a gastroenterologist, and Dr. James Woodard, an internist, a steering committee and a twenty-one member Board of Directors were established. The steering committee defined its focus and determined that the Clinic would serve residents of Lowndes County who had no resources, such as private insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, and Veteran's benefits. The Good Samaritan Medical Clinic was officially incorporated in December 1999 and received recognition from the Internal Revenue Service as a tax-exempt, nonprofit corporation in July 2000. The opening date was August 2, 2001.