LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) -A Lincoln nonprofit offering free healthcare to uninsured and underinsured residents has opened a new facility near the State Capitol.
Clinic with a Heart describes itself as a place that provides “Free, dignified healthcare for uninsured or underinsured patients.” The organization offers medical, dental, vision, behavioral health and spiritual care at no cost, staffed by volunteer medical providers.
How the clinic operates
The clinic is open three days a week — Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays — starting at 4:30 p.m. A variety of volunteer doctors and nurses donate their time approximately once a month.
Executive Director Nancy Johner said the clinic functions as an urgent need resource, not a traditional urgent care center.
“So we’re an urgent need clinic. So, that’s a little different than the urgent care,” Johner said. “So, our urgent need is you have an urgent need, you call us, you make an appointment, you don’t have insurance, you don’t have a lot of money to pay for a visit, you call us and we can see you.”
Johner credited the volunteer staff for the clinic’s capacity to serve the community.
“Our doctors and our nurses. It’s because of them that we’re able to serve, you know, 3,300 people in a year,” Johner said.
Partnerships and dental services
Johner said partnerships are central to keeping the clinic running. The dental program is student-operated in partnership with the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Dental services are student-led under the oversight of two licensed dentists.
Anthony Chavez, a first-time dental patient at Clinic with a Heart, said he was referred by his supervisor and was grateful for the ability to receive care and return to work quickly.
“So to have a place like this where people can come and get diagnosed and treated, you know, it helps a lot with our bank account and just things that, you know, if we’re going through an everyday type of struggle, we can rely on somebody to look out for us as well,” Chavez said.
Specialty clinics and services
The clinic also offers specialty clinics, including physical therapy, chiropractic care, podiatry, vision and pain management.
From June through August, the clinic hosts specialty clinics that offer physicals to students.
Location, appointments and long-term goals
Clinic with a Heart’s new facility is located at South 13th Street and D Street, a few blocks south of the State Capitol building. Online scheduling is not available. Patients must call to make an appointment at (402) 421-2924.
Patients may visit up to three times per year. Johner said the clinic’s broader goal is to help patients transition to a permanent healthcare provider.
“Because they should have a medical home. This is not a medical home,” Johner said.
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