Dr. Karen Kinsell is the only doctor in all of Clay County, Georgia, one of the poorest and unhealthiest rural regions in the state. Her clinic has served the most vulnerable in her community for over 22 years, but now faces bankruptcy. Despite not drawing a personal salary to help keep the doors open, Kinsell must now weigh retiring against providing healthcare to her patients. When a Hail Mary offer arrives from a university medical association, a fully equipped health center is proposed. But Kinsell makes affordability and access her personal red lines of the potential sale. An impending state election and the outbreak of COVID add more uncertainty to the fraught population, reminding Kinsell of how much is riding on the fine print. Straight-talking and downright inspirational, The Only Doctor presents a modern David-versus-Goliath healthcare story that might just restore your faith in humanity.
This screening is a co-presentation organized by UNCW Office of the Arts, WHQR Public Radio, Cucalorus, and Working Films.This project was supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources through the Spark the Arts program.