Community Health Clinic Inc

The FREE Community Health Clinic opened its doors on April 21, 2002 with a mission to help the working poor with chronic health needs.  Dr. William Handley and Dr. Syed Quadri, along with other community leaders, saw the needs in our community and wanted to do something to help.  The Clinic opened its doors as a volunteer based free clinic with minimal paid employees.  All of our physicians, pharmacy staff, and most nurses are volunteer.  We do have 4 paid employees and only one of those is full time.  As things have evolved, we have changed to continue to meet the health care and advocacy needs of our community.  We started out helping those in Hardin and LaRue counties.  With the Medicaid expansion and the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Clinic also expanded.  The Clinic now serves those in not only Hardin and LaRue counties, but also Meade, Breckinridge, and Grayson counties as well.  We see those who have conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, hypothyroidism, COPD, fibromyalgia, arthritis, allergies, cardiovascular disease, and even cancer.

All of our patients/clients go through a screening process to make sure they qualify for our services.  They fill out papers with their basic information as well as provide documentation of income for the household.  To be a patient of the Clinic you must have no type of insurance, you must be at least 18 years of age, and you must have a household income of less than 300% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL).  Those who qualify will then be able to see our volunteer providers and receive medication assistance from our licensed volunteer pharmacy on-site.  We do not however keep narcotics or controlled substances on the premises.  Those and certain other medications will be called in to a pharmacy of the patient’s choice as ordered by our volunteer providers.  We do have a KY Prescription Assistance Program coordinator on site as well, who will enroll our patients in to Manufacturer programs to receive medications available on their programs for free.

Our providers will also order tests such as blood work, which is done on-site at no cost.  CT scans, MRIs, x-rays, sleep studies, and stress tests are coordinated off-site.  Most of these are done for free.  We also help those without any dental insurance to be able to see a volunteer dentist for free as well.  Regarding dental assistance, we help those who have no insurance as well as those with Medicare.  Some of our clients have received cleanings, exams, extractions, fillings, oral surgery, and dentures.  Most of this is done free of charge except for the dentures.  We work with a local lab that makes the dentures for us at a reduced cost, but there is still cost involved for us.  These services are only available as funding allows.

We assist those with Medicare to enroll in, or review their current Part D plan which covers prescription drug costs.  We add their medications so we can advise them on the costs they will be paying.  Also, we help those who need assistance navigating the federal exchange for purchasing insurance as well as assisting with enrollment in to Medicaid.

We believe everyone deserves quality health care…without regard to the ability to pay!!!