The Caring Hearts Free Clinic (CHFC) of Patrick County celebrated its 20th anniversary of serving the community on August 13.
Executive Director Christie Fain said the clinic was started in 2004 by a group of individuals that noticed there was a healthcare disparity. “They wanted something to have for the community that people that were uninsured could go to,” she said.
Today, Fain said CHFC proudly continues to keep the vision of its original supporters and Executive Directors alive in order to serve the countless working indigent, uninsured individuals who are struggling in communities across Virginia with much needed healthcare.
Fain said CHFC sees patients who are 18-64 years old, are residents of Virginia, are completely uninsured, and are 300 percent or below the Federal Poverty Level.
“We have a formula, and we have a little cheat sheet, so when somebody calls or comes in, we kind of plug their numbers in. I can’t give an exact answer for that, it depends on how many family members you have, how much you make, and then we plug that in and that kind of gives us the number for that,” she said.
In 2023, CHFC saw 162 unduplicated patients with 65 of those being new patients and 97 being returning patients.
“We did a total of 437 total visits for the year. So, that would mean one of those 162 patients came back in for services that were needed throughout the year, and they were repeat visits,” she said.
While the majority of its patients are from Patrick County, Fain noted some are from Floyd, Henry County, Carroll County, and other places.
Fain said CHFC primarily provides medical care and laboratory work onsite.
“We partner with Lap Corp, and we actually do not pay anything for Lap Corp. We have a contract set up that our patients are free of charge, which is amazing because laboratory analysis is so expensive, so that saves the clinic a lot of money,” she said.
CHFC also partners with Patrick County Family Practice and Patrick County Urgent Care.
“If one of our patients needs an x-ray we send them upstairs, and Dr. Cole and his staff are wonderful to be able to provide that service to our patients,” she said.
Dr. Jorge Gonzalez, with Patrick County Eye Associates, also gives the organization’s patients vision exams and glasses as needed.
“We partner with Connect Health + Wellness for our dental program. They used to bring the bus here, so now they have the brick-and-mortar location in Patrick Springs. Now we send our dental patients down there to see their dentist, which is fantastic,” she said.
If there is something that cannot be done in house, like a specialty or referral visit, Fain said CHFC will refer patients.
“We have an amazing partnership with Carilion, so if someone needs to see a cardiologist or urology, physical therapy, things like that then we refer them to those specialty offices,” she said.
Since Carilion and Therapy Direct are not part of the free clinic, patients are required to fill out a financial aid application. Jeanette Redman, CHFC’s office manager, helps patients fill out their paperwork and financial aid applications.
“Nine times out of 10, all of those bills are paid for because they get charity financial aid awarded,” she said.
Fain said if CHFC were to send patients to Therapy Direct or Connect Health + Wellness, for an x-ray, it is at no cost to the patient.
“The Free Clinic is billed from those providers, and we pay that bill on behalf of the patient. So essentially, they are coming in and receiving a free medical visit from us,” she said.
To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Fain said the organization did some interior remodeling by repainting the walls and removing the old carpet.
“We just kind of revamped what we have. We are so thankful to be here, and Dr. Cole lets us stay here,” she said. “But our thought process was when a patient comes into a doctor’s office, they want to feel that they’re here, and they’re welcome, and it be light and airy, and that was kind of our feelings to give it a revamped look.”
Fain said Caring Hearts is partially funded by the Virginia Association of Free and Charitable Clinics, a non-profit organization. “They give us state funding yearly if we meet the membership requirements, and then also it depends on how many patients we see a year and also how many prescriptions that we write for those patients is the amount of funding that we get,” she said.
However, this is only a portion of the funding needed to operate the clinic. She said the other half is based off donations from local businesses and the community.
“Any amount helps. I think we kind of crunched some numbers, and I think $6 would pay for a patient’s prescription, or a patient to get diabetic supplies, or something like that,” she said.
Fain said the clinic offers Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP) credits, which is a program it applies for every year.
“There’s funding that comes down from the state that we can offer donors. So, if an individual were to donate $500 or more then I would fill out the NAP application on their behalf, simple, send it off with a copy of the donation check that they gave us, and then they receive 65 percent back on their state income tax. An example would be if someone donated $500 you would get $325 dollars back on your state income tax at the end of the year,” she said, emphasizing this is not money that comes from CFHC’s pocket. Fain believes the threshold for businesses is at least $600.
Those wishing to donate can send checks to 835 Woodland Drive Suite 101, Stuart, VA 24171.
The organization is also starting a new incentive program to recruit new patients. New patients who make and keep an appointment in August and September will receive a gas card, courtesy of outreach funding from Virginia Association of Free and Charitable Clinics. Current patients who refer someone who qualifies and is seen also will receive a gas card, in addition to the referred person.
“We’re open to see new patients at any time. We do accept walk-ins, so you don’t have to call for an appointment, but sometimes it makes it a little bit easier if you have an appointment so we kind of know what to tell you to bring when you come in,” she said.
Fain said the two nurse practitioners are Pamela Wright and Emily Turner. The clinic is open Mondays and Tuesdays to see patients from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It also is open Wednesday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., however providers are not available. Fain said staff will still be able to refill medication and answer questions.
For more information, call (276) 694-3410, visit caringheartsfc.com, or on social media, Caring Hearts Free Clinic of Patrick County.
