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“The community center steals your heart. It’s a slice of the best of what American can be.”

– Jeremy Cole, Executive Director

Clarkston Community Health Center (CCHC) is a free health clinic with a mission to be a state-of-the-art, culturally and linguistically competent primary and preventative health care facility, providing a medical home to the residents of the city of Clarkston and to those in need throughout North Georgia.

CCHC was founded in 2013 and, annually, we serve thousands of immigrants, refugees, uninsured, and underinsured patients in need of medical care. Clarkston is a major refugee resettlement area located just outside of the city of Atlanta. After eight months in this country, refugees are no longer eligible for Medicaid and do not qualify for the Affordable Care Act. According to the 2010 census, the city’s foreign-born population hails from over 50 countries (spanning 6 continents) within this 1.1 square mile enclave, leading TIME magazine to refer to Clarkston as the “most diverse square mile in America”.

In addition to primary and preventative care, CCHC provides comprehensive healthcare to any patients who live at or below 200% of the federal poverty limit by offering a full range of specialty clinics. These include cardiology, women’s health, dermatology, mental health, vision care, endocrinology, and rheumatology. Our onsite point-of-care lab and free pharmacy ensure that patients receive needed screenings, timely results, and access to life-saving medications.

Understanding and celebrating the vast cultural diversity that exists within our community, our practitioners speak over 30 languages to accommodate our diverse patient population.

“One of the primary reasons for choosing my medical school was its proximity to CCHC. As an immigrant, I understand the fear and anxiety around navigating the American healthcare system that new arrivals may feel. I wanted to work in an environment that saw someone’s status and culture not as stagnating care, but at the center of care planning. Clinicians take time and care to break down barriers to health and counsel patients, in whatever language they may need. At CCHC, I see the relief in a grandmother’s eyes when her doctor walks in sharing her skin tone and mother tongue. Unique to CCHC is the collection of providers and students that congregate from all over Georgia on any given day. Education is closely intertwined with service and it is a privilege to learn from these clinicians, some of whom endured harrowing journeys from abroad to make their life’s work at CCHC. What I admire most about their leadership is their commitment to constant improvement. They are not content with just being a free clinic, but a first-class example of care delivered across cultural borders.”

– Reem Dawoud, Volunteer Medical Provider