Collier County clinic offers free medical care to uninsured workers

The Neighborhood Health Clinic in Collier County has been providing free medical care to uninsured workers for 27 years, helping them stay healthy, employed, and out of emergency rooms.

Monica Lopez, who works at Walmart, visits the clinic monthly for her cholesterol medication. "You know the doctors and nurses and everyone is wonderful, they treat you so nice," Lopez said. "So this is a blessing. It helps a lot." Without the clinic, she said she would not be able to afford her medication.

The clinic treated 11,000 patients last year, with 200 doctors, 300 nurses, and other staff volunteering their time to provide care. "This is a place when you truly get to be a doctor," one physician said. "When I come here, I'm strictly vested in the patients' interest and that's it. The magic thing about it is that the clinic has all the support that allows me to do that."

The clinic offers ultrasounds, X-rays, blood panels, MRIs, medications, and dental care across 25 specialties, all under one roof. This setup allows patients to receive treatment without missing work.

Susan Jones, who began volunteering as a nurse at the clinic in 1997, recalled the need for such a facility. "We found people were just falling through the cracks because there is nowhere else they could go," Jones said. "They were often seen in emergency rooms, and they were not being treated properly. They were clogging up ERs with conditions we can treat here."

The clinic was founded by retired dermatologist Bill Lashied and his wife, Nancy. Lashied described the clinic as "food for your soul." He said, "I mean, you know, I'm going to start crying, but it really is the most fulfilling thing I could have done with my life. I would love if other people could experience that."

To qualify for treatment at the clinic, patients must be over 18, live in Collier County, be below the poverty level, and have a job. The clinic serves workers across various industries, including landscapers, restaurant employees, and retail workers, fueling the local economy by keeping its workforce healthy.