Cairn Health’s roots in the Wichita community date back nearly a century. The organization began in 1937 as the Medical Service Bureau, founded by physicians and nurses from the Medical Society of Sedgwick County. Their goal was to create a social service agency where low-income individuals could receive medical care based on their ability to pay.

 

The idea first took shape in January 1936, when the Wichita Beacon published an article titled “Medical Help Will Be Given to Poor Folks” as part of a Community Chest (now United Way of the Plains) planning effort to better support families unable to afford medical care or prescriptions.

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The organization was officially incorporated as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) on July 26, 1978. In 2019, the name was changed to Cairn Health, Inc., reflecting a renewed focus on guidance, support, and accessible pathways to care.