Community Free Clinic

The Community Free Clinic is more than a medical office — we are a lifeline for neighbors in Cabarrus County who have nowhere else to turn.

As the only free clinic in Cabarrus County, North Carolina — just northeast of Charlotte — we serve uninsured adults (and their children) who earn less than $45,000 per year and cannot afford health insurance but earn too much to qualify for Medicaid. These are hardworking individuals: parents, caregivers, service workers, small business employees, and seniors. They live here. They work here. Their children attend school here. And when they get sick, we make sure they do not fall through the cracks.

Every dollar donated to the Community Free Clinic stays right here in Cabarrus County, helping our residents — adults and children — get healthy and stay healthy. Every resident who is uninsured earns less than 300% of the Federal Poverty Level is eligible for care.

We provide free primary care, access to free mail-delivery prescription medications, limited dental and mental health services, specialty referrals, and chronic disease management. But our work goes far beyond treating symptoms. We treat the whole person.

Many of our patients face barriers that make staying healthy incredibly difficult — food insecurity, unstable housing, lack of transportation, domestic violence, or substance use challenges. Our Community Health Workers helps patients navigate these realities, connecting them to local resources and support systems so they can address the root causes that impact their health. Our Patient Navigator helps patients understand their diagnoses and treatments, educates them about referrals, and how to get the help they need outside the Clinic through referrals.

For patients living with chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension, we offer Lifestyle Medicine programs that focus on practical, sustainable change. Through education, coaching, and encouragement, patients learn how to improve their health through nutrition and physical activity — changes that reduce complications and prevent hospitalizations.

Our innovative Food Pharmacy brings this education to life. Patients receive healthy recipes, the ingredients to prepare meals at home, and cooking demonstrations that show how to eat nutritiously on a limited budget. It is not just about giving food — it is about empowering families with the knowledge and confidence to build lifelong healthy habits.

In addition to direct care, the Clinic operates as the enrollment center for HealthNet Cabarrus — a collaborative network of hospitals, physicians, specialists, and nonprofit organizations working together to provide free and reduced-cost specialty care. Through HealthNet, patients gain access to services such as surgery, cancer care, and advanced diagnostics that would otherwise be completely out of reach. We serve as the hub that coordinates this care, ensuring that vulnerable residents are not left to navigate complex medical systems alone.

Our impact is measurable and local:

• In 2024, our services saved the hospital system $3.5 million in avoided emergency room visits and hospitalizations.
• For every $1 spent, we generated $13.22 in value through medical services and volunteer support.
• We served 917 patients last year through the Clinic, including 603 receiving direct medical care.
• Through HealthNet Cabarrus, the county's health safety net, 1,265 patients received specialty care access.
• A dedicated staff of 13 is supported by more than 275 volunteers who give their time and expertise to care for our neighbors.

When patients receive preventive care and chronic disease management, they avoid emergency rooms. They miss fewer days of work. They care for their children. They contribute to our local economy. Stronger individual health creates a stronger community.

The Community Free Clinic is open Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with extended evening hours on the second Wednesday of each month to serve patients who cannot come during the workday.

Donations made through every.org — whether through stock, cryptocurrency, donor-advised funds, or traditional gifts — directly fuel patient care. They purchase medications. They fund diabetic and hypertension supplies we give to patients. They support mental health and dental visits. They keep our doors open to whomever needs us.

Your generosity does not disappear into overhead. It becomes cancer screening for a worried mother. Blood pressure supplies for a grandfather. A mental health appointment for a caregiver in crisis. A specialty surgery that changes — and sometimes saves — a life.

Every dollar stays in Cabarrus County. Every gift strengthens our community. Every patient served is a neighbor whose health and dignity matter.

Together, we are building a healthier Cabarrus County — one patient, one family, one life at a time.