What is a Free Clinic?

A Free Clinic is a private, nonprofit, community-based organization that provides medical care at little or no charge to low-income, uninsured and underinsured persons through the use of volunteer health care professionals and partnerships with other health providers.

North Carolina has 79 NCAFC Free Clinics, more free medical clinics than any state in the country. There are approximately 1,200 Free Clinics nationwide. The first Free Clinics in America were organized in California in 1967.

The following are common characteristics of Free Clinics:

COMMUNITY-BASED

No two Free Clinics are alike. They are custom-designed by communities to meet identified health care needs using the community's unique health care assets and resources. Free Clinics are governed by volunteer Boards of Directors representing a broad cross-section of the community.

PRIVATE, NONPROFIT

Free Clinics are private, nonprofit organizations supported primarily by cash and in-kind contributions from the private sector.

VOLUNTEER-DRIVEN

Volunteerism is a central feature of Free Clinics. Free Clinic services are provided primarily or exclusively by volunteer health care professionals serving in the clinic's own facility and/or in their own private practice setting. Lay volunteers also perform a variety of administrative and clerical tasks thus keeping overhead costs low.

TARGET LOW-INCOME, UNINSURED AND UNDERINSURED ADULTS

In North Carolina this is the population that has the greatest difficulty accessing affordable health care services. While eligibility criteria vary from one to the next, Free Clinics conduct rigorous eligibility screening to ensure that the patients they serve are truly in need.

LITTLE OR NO CHARGES

Free Clinics believe that inability to pay should not prevent people from receiving health care. To this end, Free Clinics provide services at little or no charge.

COMPASSIONATE CARE

Free Clinics place strong emphasis on providing non-judgmental, compassionate care, respecting the dignity and self-worth of every patient.

† To learn more about how you can become involved in expanding access to quality health care for the uninsured and underinsured of North Carolina, please contact us today at 336-251-1111.