CARE Clinic

CARE Clinic is a nonprofit, safety-net clinic providing a “one-stop-shop” for integrated care including medical, dental, mental health, and social services to low-income and under/uninsured residents of Goodhue County, Minnesota.

CARE Clinic’s mission is to contribute to the Community by improving health care Access, connecting people to Resources, and promoting health Education.

Check out this video for more info!

The clinic operates four days per week.  Over 200 staff and volunteers provide the following services:

• Free Medical Care: Acute, chronic and preventive services; Specialty clinics including podiatry, optometry/ophthalmology, diabetic/nutrition education and women’s health
• Affordable Dental Care: Preventive, restorative and urgent needs; School-linked services; Oral surgery provided through a collaborative partnership
• Mental Health Care: Assessment, intervention, and referral. Ongoing care is available through our Hispanic Family Therapy Program
• Medication Assistance: Free or low-cost medications utilizing a partnership with two local pharmacies, a mail-order discount pharmacy and free Patient Assistance Programs available through pharmaceutical companies
• Social Services: Education and referrals to local, state, and federal resources, including on-site MNsure enrollment assistance and legal aid

CARE Clinic is unique in that medical, dental, mental health, and social service providers are able to interact, allowing us to focus on the overall health and wellbeing of our patients. We truly believe our patients, especially children, diabetics, and other high-risk individuals benefit from this integrated operational model. We provide integrated safety-net health care for low-income individuals who are either uninsured or enrolled in Minnesota Health Care Programs (MHCP).

 Check out CARE Clinic's Website here for more information!

After over a decade of service, with the help of donors, staff, volunteers, and a great community, we have accomplished the following:

• Over 20,000 patient encounters in total across all our services
• Since 2013, we have assisted 5,000 individuals with MNsure Navigation
• Increased capacity to provide preventative and restorative dental care to 13,000+ eligible individuals in Goodhue County
• Provide free dental care for all eligible children
• Assisted in over 10,000 medical encounters with patients
• Each year of operation, over half of our patients continue to be brand new to the clinic                                                                                        

CARE Clinic COVID-19 Response

Despite the challenges of the pandemic for our clinic, we have been adapting in order to both continue and expand our services and meet the community's new needs specific to COVID-19. CARE Clinic is committed to minimizing the barriers our community members face, and our response to the pandemic is no different. 

We offer COVID-19 vaccines free of charge. We have gone to patients' homes and workplaces to administer vaccines, ensuring that time or mobility/transportation constraints don't get in the way of their access to vaccination. This has been especially significant as many of our patients are frontline essential workers or have health conditions that put them at a higher risk for worse COVID-19 outcomes.

Similarly, we have been providing COVID-19 rapid tests for free. We are one of two testing centers in Goodhue County, and the only center that does rapid testing. Rapid testing addresses some of the issues our community members face in accessing testing, such as the ability to take extended time off of work to wait for results due to financial or job instability. Moreover, we provide culturally competent care, ensuring that our patients can receive vital information about testing and the appropriate measures to take if they test positive.

Your gift makes a difference in the lives of patients and the community: For every $1 donated, C.A.R.E. Clinic can provide $2.50 in health care services!

Patients often request our services during a difficult life transition, such as loss of employment. Without C.A.R.E. Clinic, patients report they would:

- Seek care in the emergency room

- Pay full cost for medications, laboratory services, visits, etc.

- Self-treat

- Go without care and suffer

Since 2013, C.A.R.E. Clinic has helped enroll over 2,000 individuals in health insurance!