Six Kids, Six Clinics, and a Lifetime of Care: My Father’s Health Care Journey

By Sara M. Lomax | WURD Radio

My father, Walter P. Lomax Jr., M.D., was a rare breed – a talented physician with the spirit of an entrepreneur. One of four children, he was the only son of a shipyard worker and lampshade maker who worked long and hard to become a medical doctor.

He practiced in Philadelphia for 32 years, building full-service medical centers throughout Philly’s underserved, mostly Black neighborhoods. At the height of his business, he owned and operated six medical practices that were one-stop shops for internal medicine, optometry, podiatry, pediatric care, OBGYN services, blood work and a full-service pharmacy.

He also developed a shrewd real estate sense, owning the buildings where he set up all of his practices. His medical centers served as training grounds for young Black doctors while offering good-paying medical jobs for folks in the neighborhoods. He provided places the communities could get high-quality healthcare but also good-paying jobs, both otherwise hard to find in those days, just like today.

My siblings and I – there are six of us – grew up working in my Dad’s medical centers. Periodically during our summer vacations, we joined our father on the one-hour commute from Bucks County to South Philly, where his first medical center was located. We helped with filing, answering phones, cleaning up and staying out of the way. Even though the work was dull (especially for an irascible 13-year-old), we witnessed our father leading. He was large and in charge. His patients loved him. The staff respected him. This was his kingdom.

I also saw that, as a Black physician, his work was never done. Late-night and early morning calls from friends or family who needed his medical expertise were the norm. He navigated what were sometimes life and death conversations with grace and humor. But I think it was exhausting – mentally and emotionally.

Watching my father, I developed a deep respect for doctors. Providing care and comfort to people when they are sick and vulnerable is a gift. Offering culturally competent health care in underserved Black communities was revolutionary in the 70s and 80s – and it still is.

In 1992, when I launched my health magazine, HealthQuest: The Publication of Black Wellness, I asked my father, “What’s the biggest health issue facing the Black community?” Without hesitation, he said, “Poverty.” This was before clinical terms like “racial health disparities” or “the social determinants of health” were in vogue. He knew that race and income had a profound impact on the quality and duration of life. He witnessed the ravages of poverty on his patients every day and never lost sight of each person’s humanity and dignity.

In memory and tribute to my father, last year, WURD Radio launched a doctors directory committed to connecting our listeners to culturally competent health information and resources. This is an extension of my father’s work and vision, and his legacy lives on. Not just in the bricks and mortar of the clinics he built, or the patients he cared for, but in every effort we make to continue his mission. At WURD, we carry that torch by creating spaces that inform, empower, and uplift Black communities. The doctors directory is just one step forward on a path he helped pave toward equity, access, and dignity in healthcare. My father believed in healing not just bodies, but communities. And that belief still guides us.

At WURD, we engage with and learn from our listeners every day. We are excited to be able to provide this kind of resource to our community, especially during a time when Black voices are often silenced. It is an honor and privilege to continue on with the work that my father started, and I look forward to doing that for many years to come.