Doctor turns former church building into dream medical clinic

An Idaho Falls doctor turned a dream into reality when he renovated a former LDS church building into a new medical clinic, but this isn’t your ordinary clinic.

“I don’t wanna just be a doctor, I want to help people heal,” said Dr. Jeff Baker, owner of The Healing Sanctuary.

When Dr. Baker saw a run down LDS church in Idaho Falls, he knew it was the place for his dream medical clinic. He, along with Stephen Loosli, turned that dream into reality. The building served as a metaphor for what he wanted his clinic to be like.

“Obviously this building’s not, you know, like a brand new one with all the fancy new stuff, but I think we’ve restored it to a level I think that is optimal,” Dr. Baker said. “And that’s what we try to do with people and their health. Not just physically, but also emotional, mental and even spiritual health.”

The clinic uses a mixture of traditional and holistic medicine. Dr. Baker is an OB-GYN, but he began to prefer the natural side of medicine after one of his children had an illness and conventional medicine wasn’t working. At the clinic, Dr. Baker says they dig deep to find the root of what is causing each patient’s medical problem.

But they won’t be just healing. They will also use the space to have a medical spa and teach classes in areas such as cooking and yoga. There will also be a kitchen and cafeteria where the public can eat.

“We wanted to be a source of positive energy,” Dr. Baker said. “A source of education to teach people how to live, how to live healthy and to carry that back to their homes and to their family.”

Renovating the building came with many obstacles, but he kept going. It not only represented his philosophy, but there was an emotional connection as well. His father was a physician who used to practice just three blocks away.

“To me it was honoring him and what he did for the community,” Dr. Baker said.

Dr. Baker not only plans to revitalize the building and his patients health, but the entire area as well.

“Let’s see what we can do to help revitalize this area,” he said. “Let’s continue what people have already done here and helping fix these homes up and restoring this area.”

The Healing Sanctuary has been open for about a year now, but they just moved into the former church building located at 187 East 13th Street in February. They will hold an open house in May.