Not everyone can say they’ve got over three decades of joyful ministry under their belt — but LaValeria Saxton-Smith can.
And while Saxton-Smith has been the manager of the CHI St. Vincent Community Care East Clinic in Little Rock for 30 years, she has always had a powerful faith life.
“I grew up in a little town and grew up around my parents, just loving the Lord. … With the faith that I had, I was doing the things that I felt like God had called me to. You know, you don’t really understand your direction, but you know that you’re being guided.”
That led Saxton-Smith to St. Vincent.
“I’ve been here for three decades serving the vulnerable, the poor and absolutely loving what I do.”
Saxton-Smith’s husband, J. Denard Smith, is the pastor of Abundant Grace Christian Church in Little Rock, and she works alongside him in ministry. Her faith has always acted like a compass, leading her to where God wants her to serve next. She said her story is an example of God qualifying the called.
“When I think about who I am and the work that I do, I think about the Scripture where it talks about, you know, that God chose me. I didn’t choose him. He chose me, and he anointed me for this time and these seasons in my life. And so I truly believe that about myself.
“So when I came to St. Vincent’s 30 years ago, I actually had worked in a private practice. One day, I had had enough of it, and I said, ‘Lord, just lead me to a place where people need me and that will appreciate me.’ And I actually literally walked across the street to St. Vincent and ended up with a job working in the Community Care Clinic, and I’ve been here ever since.”
The Community Care East Clinic, which was founded more than 40 years ago, is a special partnership between the city of Little Rock and CHI St. Vincent. Providing health and dental care to low and moderate-income patients, the clinic offers a sliding fee scale to match an individual’s ability to pay.
Saxton-Smith knows that the more things change, the more they stay the same. And while the world around the clinic has changed significantly in the last 30 years, the mission of the clinic, located near the Little Rock airport, remains eternal — to serve those most in need.
“When I first came here, I had no idea I would stay here that long,” she said. “I’ve seen so many changes that have come about even in the area … as the community has changed, the patients still know that this clinic is here. They know what it’s all about. And I think that from generation to generation, for me, I’ve actually had the opportunity to take care of patients and then their children, and then even some of the young ladies and young men that have grown into adults now.
“I like what St. Vincent’s East offers in the community,” she said. “We’ve been doing community outreach with churches and working with the city and making sure that we do all of the back-to-school physicals and things that we need to do with people that are homeless. So this clinic has been a pillar for this community, and for years, I’ve had opportunities to watch it grow.”
Saxton-Smith said that the East Clinic almost feels like a community center at times with the amount of outreach and ministry it conducts in the city.
“One thing that I’ve watched through the years as it has continued is to be able to offer quality health care to those that are unfortunate,” she said. “And when I look at it for me and look at it for St. Vincent’s and the 30 years that I’ve been able to manage it, I like the fact that they trust me to make wise decisions when it comes to caring for this clinic and caring for this community. Just to be able to have people that have come together and know where we are and know the services we offer. And it is just a blessing to the community churches that we go out and do outreach for. … This is a place that patients can come to and get the care that they know they can get based on a sliding fee scale and their ability to pay. …”
Saxton-Smith has worked hard to take care of not only the most vulnerable in Little Rock but her staff as well.
In 2023, she received the Sister Margaret Vincent Blandford Leadership Award. She was the only clinic manager who didn’t experience turnover during the pandemic. For many at St. Vincent, she is a leader in Catholic health care.
“LaValeria Saxton-Smith embodies the spirit and mission of the Catholic ministry,” said media relations manager Angela Rachels Adams. “… Her kind and joyful spirit is known throughout the community, as she has personally impacted thousands of patients, ensuring they have access to the health care they need.”
Saxton-Smith is thankful to work for an organization whose ministry is rooted in faith. She said it helps her to work more authentically.
“I work for an organization that does not have a problem with me sharing my faith,” she said. “It sees it in me when I step outside these walls, sees it in me when I’m in the hospital … I’ve never wavered from my faith. I’ve never changed who I am for anybody. I just believe that that’s what God has called me to be and to do. …
“(The Sisters of Charity of Nazareth who founded the hospital in 1888) had love — to go and make sure that the vulnerable people were taken care of and the faith that they had to believe that this clinic would still be standing … We’re still doing what they believed in. … When I retire, because of the faith that I have in this system and this organization and this clinic, I believe that someone will still continue to carry on this work.”
