Free health clinic surpasses milestone of delivering $100 million in health care

The Northern Neck – Middlesex Free Health Clinic (NNMFHC) has delivered more than $100 million worth of health care.

Year-end statistics confirmed that the Clinic reached and passed the milestone in December. Since the Clinic’s founding in October of 1993 through 2017, the value of health-care services delivered to more than 14,500 unduplicated individuals living in the Northern Neck and Middlesex County stands at $101,101,937.

“We’re in a notable time – our 25^th year – and it’s only fitting that we reach the $100 million milestone when we did,” said CEO Jean Nelson, who has directed the Clinic for its quarter-of-a-century existence. “The community made it possible and makes the Clinic work. We’re able to operate only because of the hundreds of donors and volunteers who support us each and every year.”

The Clinic began in October of 1993 as a one-night-a-week operation in borrowed space at the Lancaster County Health Department. The first-year budget was $25,000, and by the end of 1994, just under $200,000 of services had been provided.

Last year, the Clinic delivered just under $10 million in health care – $9,988,136 worth of services, working on a budget of $1.3 million. During 2017, every $1 in donations resulted in $7.60 worth of care,

“Our volunteers make that kind of return on investment possible,” Nelson said. “And we have a hard-working and compassionate staff that makes the most of every dollar our donors entrust us with. I couldn’t be more proud of our community for its support.”

The NNMFHC consists of a Medical Clinic open five days and two evenings a week, a Pharmacy for all Medical Clinic patients, and a Dental Clinic operating in partnership with the VCU School of Dentistry. Outreaches are held in Middlesex and Westmoreland counties. Regular offerings include specialty clinics for specific health conditions, a denture program, and behavioral health appointments.

The NNMFHC serves those in the area who have low incomes and little or no insurance.

“Thousands of individuals would have gone without care or, at best, used emergency rooms for non-emergency care had the Clinic not been available,” Nelson said. “Instead, the community is $100 million healthier.”

The public is always welcome to visit the NNMFHC, and of course to volunteer and donate. More information is available at the Clinic at 51 William B. Graham Court in Kilmarnock, and at nnmfhc.org.