Cabin Creek residents, having won the battle for recognition of their mining-related health problems, still faced problems in gaining access to medical care. The 20-mile long hollow, lined with small communties, lacked medical facilities of any kind. The closest doctors and hospitals were in Charleston, at least a 30-minute drive away. The physical distance was on difficulty in obtaining services. A second, perhaps more important, factor was the feeling that Cabin Creek residents did not get equal care in urban facilities.
Many people let their ailments go untreated unless they became seriously ill.
In 1974, the non-profit Cabin Creek Health association was chartered to help remedy these problems. With the financial help of the members, local fundraisers, the Kanawha County Commission, the Appalachian Regional Commission, and the Benedum Foundation, the Cabin Creek Health Center project was launched. Building materials were donated by area business, and the center was built by the people of the Cabin Creek community. The building of the health center was seen as a national example for community-controlled health care facilities. The clinic began operation in the Sharon-Dawes Elementary School in 1975 while the building was under construction.