By Jennifer Jahn
NKyTribune staff writer
Northern Kentucky’s first full-time free primary care clinic dedicated to uninsured adults officially opened Wednesday, marking a significant expansion of healthcare access for residents who have long struggled to find affordable medical care.
Faith Community Health Network celebrated the opening of Faith Community Clinic with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its new location on Washington Avenue, where community leaders, healthcare partners, volunteers and donors gathered to mark the milestone.
The clinic provides free primary care for eligible uninsured adults, including preventive care, chronic disease management, treatment for acute illnesses, laboratory testing, health screenings, patient education and care coordination. Through Faith Community Pharmacy, eligible patients can also receive prescription medications at no cost.
“Today is the realization of a vision that has been years in the making,” Executive Director Aaron Broomall said. “Every person deserves access to quality healthcare, regardless of their ability to pay.”
The clinic was created to fill a longstanding gap in healthcare access for uninsured adults in Northern Kentucky, many of whom could obtain medications through Faith Community Pharmacy but still lacked access to a primary care provider.
“Our organization, from the start, has been built around a community of people who come together and care,” Broomall said. “None of our work would be possible without the effort and insights from everybody who is here.”
Following the ceremony, Broomall led attendees on a tour of the new facility, which includes four exam rooms and an on-site point-of-care laboratory capable of performing bloodwork, A1C testing, sexually transmitted disease testing and other diagnostic services while patients remain in the clinic. Rather than waiting days for results, patients can review findings with providers during the same visit before receiving a treatment plan and prescriptions.
“We always focus on the person,” he said. “Advancing somebody to health is more than just diagnosis and medication, as critically important as that is. It’s speaking dignity back into the single mom who’s working two part-time jobs and doesn’t get healthcare. It’s dignity to the dad who’s just lost his job. It’s dignity to our friends and neighbors who are working hard but can’t afford health insurance.”
Patients can fill prescriptions through Faith Community Pharmacy the same day, and those with chronic conditions may enroll in a medication program providing refills every 90 days. The organization also offers free home delivery of medications for patients without reliable transportation.
Staff also screen patients for social needs such as food insecurity, housing and transportation barriers, connecting them with community resources alongside medical treatment.
Medical equipment and furnishings throughout the clinic were donated by St. Elizabeth Healthcare and Cincinnati Children’s. Broomall said the clinic was intentionally designed to provide the same welcoming environment patients would expect in a traditional primary care office.
The clinic is already planning to expand services. A partnership with Midwest Eye Institute is expected to bring a free vision clinic to the facility later this summer, initially operating two days each month. Long-term plans include adding dental care, mental health services and physical therapy.
Faith Community Health Network expects the clinic to serve approximately 1,400 patients through 2,200 visits during its first year, with demand anticipated to increase as Medicaid eligibility changes take effect later this year.
Broomall also highlighted partnerships with the University of Kentucky College of Medicine and the University of Cincinnati College of Pharmacy, saying the clinic will help train future healthcare professionals to better understand the unique challenges faced by low-income patients.
“We get to help the next generation of healthcare leaders so that they’re thinking about low-income health and how to address it because it is unique,” he said.
Newport City Manager John Hayden called the clinic “a real difference-maker” for both the city and the region.
“We appreciate the mission, the charge they have and the service they’re providing to our community and the region at large,” Hayden said.
Volunteer Medical Director Dr. Rob Tracy said the clinic grew out of needs identified through Faith Community Pharmacy, where patients often struggled to find affordable medical providers despite receiving assistance with medications.
“A large gap in accessing healthcare exists in our community,” Tracy said. “Today we stand in what was once a vision that is now a brick-and-mortar clinic ready to serve those individuals without insurance.”
Broomall closed the ceremony by sharing the story of the clinic’s first patient, a woman who lost her job because uncontrolled diabetes left her unable to work. After receiving treatment and medication at the clinic, he said, she is now stable and working toward returning to the workforce.
“It’s always about people,” Broomall said. “Advancing somebody to health is more than just diagnosis and medication. Every person that walks in this door is valuable because we’re here, and because we care about them.”
During its initial launch, the clinic will operate two days each week before expanding to Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. All visits are by appointment, and patients can schedule by calling 859-426-7837. Faith Community Clinic located at 601 Washington Ave., Suite 390, Newport.