Matthews Free Medical Clinic
Caring for the Health and Well-Being of People in Need
Twenty-one years ago, Gail Dokes, RN, and Lou Ann McAdams, MD, saw the need to help low-income, uninsured people in the Matthews area. With the support of Matthews United Methodist Church, they started a free clinic where they saw patients one night a week.
Today the Matthews Free Medical Clinic provides free, quality health care with a wide variety of services including primary care, physical therapy, cardiology, dental, gynecology, and gastroenterology, The clinic also has a lab, a pharmacy, and an active educational program for nutritional counseling and health literacy.
“We set ourselves apart by doing a social determinant of health when a person becomes a patient,” says Amy Carr, executive director. “In addition to figuring out what they will need medically, our social worker determines what they need socially so we can remove barriers.” This includes finding out if the patient needs transportation, food, or help with employment opportunities. “It’s very comprehensive. While we are treating them physically, we can support them from a behavioral health point of view to take care of the whole person,” Amy adds.
The Matthews Free Medical Clinic offers a wide variety of services including primary care, a pharmacy, and nutritional counseling.
Amy started with the Matthews Free Medical Clinic fourteen years ago and has helped manage the tremendous growth at the center. “We have tripled our services and now serve beyond the Matthews area to all of Mecklenburg and Union counties. It took everyone to get us here and it’s been great.”
She describes what is most rewarding about her work: “We watch someone come in and feel their anxiety about asking for help and not knowing if we can help. As I hear their story, I know 100 percent that we can help and then I get to watch their transformation through their health care journey.”
Matthews Free Medical Clinic connected with TowneBank when their board chair Jamie Neely recommended Towne. “We were unhappy with our bank where we’d been forever,” Amy says. “They never communicated with us and everything was so difficult, like having to make deposits in person, for example. Jamie said she would love to have me talk with TowneBank, a larger community bank with a hometown feel. She was right! I met with Will Bishop, senior vice president and commercial banker. It’s been a night and day difference. TowneBank makes life as a nonprofit so much easier, like picking up deposits, which is a big thing when you have a small staff. Towne makes me feel like I am their only member. It has been wonderful, and Will now serves as our board treasurer.”
“Working with a member and also serving on the board feels like a partnership on steroids!” Will says. “Advocating for them now has two purposes – growing the relationship with TowneBank and adding to the success of the organization as a whole, a true win-win.”
The Clinic can always use help. Amy recommends liking their social media posts to raise awareness about the clinic. “Sometimes people think there is no longer a need for free clinics since North Carolina expanded Medicaid in 2023. But there is still a huge need. People can volunteer as a group or talk to our volunteer coordinator about ongoing roles. An office supply drive is always helpful.”
Matthews Free Medical Clinic will hold their annual Hearts in Hands fundraiser on Saturday, November 1. Find out more about that event and other information at MatthewsFMC.org.
Over the last two decades, the Matthews Free Medical Clinic has tripled it services and now provides care to people in Mecklenburg and Union counties.