Programs and results
What we aim to solve
The Free Clinic of Powhatan serves residents from the counties of Powhatan, Chesterfield, Amelia and Cumberland. We have increased our Clinic hours for all services including medical, dental, mental health and women's health. Our total patient visits for 2022 was 2198, a 304% increase from 2021 total of 544. This number is primarily due to the dramatic increase in dental patients (216 in 2021, 1205 in 2022). Our primary goal for 2023 is the increase patient visits from outlying areas of Cumberland and Amelia. Accessing these patients is difficult as there is limited broadband access and no delivered newspaper. With last year's implementation of Electronic Medical Records, the Clinic has increased access to both demographic and clinical data which helps us track both registration status and diagnosis information.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
General Medical, Mental & Dental Services
Until 2007, Powhatan was one of the only counties of its population in Virginia that had no safety net provider of free medical services to low-income, uninsured people. Through volunteer efforts that same year, the Free Clinic of Powhatan opened in a mobile facility at the Powhatan Fairgrounds.Pre-pandemic, nearly half of our patients were employed or retired. They are the working poor or the elderly living on fixed social security payments in an environment of rising health care costs. Many of our patients continue to struggle financially and lead stressful lives. Recently, many of the employed have now lost their incomes. Although Medicaid expansion occurred, not all uninsured patients are eligible for Medicaid. The threshold of eligibility leaves out the working poor and many others. There are many people who make more than the allowed salary but not enough to make ends meet. Some of our patients do not qualify for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or if they do, may be unable to afford the premiums, co-pays, or deductibles.
The most frequent diagnoses are depression/anxiety, hypertension, post-traumatic stress, diabetes, dental and vision problems. In 2010, we began a partnership with Access Now, a program established by the Richmond Academy of Medicine to link patients in need with donated specialty physician services. This enables our Clinic to connect patients with the proper specialists and prescribe them the life-changing and life-saving medications they need.
In 2010, we also started our women’s health program. We then began a partnership with Goochland Cares and VCU to expand the dental program to include fillings, extractions, and dentures, with the Free Clinic of Powhatan reimbursing Goochland Cares. Unfortunately, our dental needs have grown, and Goochland Cares is no longer able to serve our patients.
We expanded our service area to include eligible residents in Amelia, Chesterfield, and Cumberland counties, which are counties that surround Powhatan and do not have free clinics. (Chesterfield did have a program, but it closed several years ago). We also created a counseling program with Powhatan High School for which we provide a psychiatrist and counselor at the school. We are the only free clinic in the Richmond area to provide such help in a high school and we are particularly proud to have kept this program going through the pandemic. This very successful program will be replicated in other county schools.Our patients see the Clinic as their medical home. We encourage them to see us for annual check-ups, medication monitoring, and lab tests. Many of our patients return to work or are able to work more hours. They can buy groceries again, pay their taxes, and contribute to our economy in other ways.
Without regular health care, patients become sicker and their care becomes more costly. The chance of a negative outcome is higher. What might have been a routine visit to the Clinic can becomes a visit to an emergency room, the most expensive place to seek treatment. Lack of regular health care may create a community health hazard or increase overall health care costs to taxpayers.
Where we work
Affiliations & memberships
ConnectRichmond 2009
ConnectSouthside 2009
RX Partnership 2009
Virginia Association of Free Clinics 2009
United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg Partnership Agency 2009
Unite Us 2021
External reviews

Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of clinic visits provided
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
General Medical, Mental & Dental Services
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Our patient visit numbers have increased by 304% from 2021 - 2022. The largest increase is from our dental clinic which has increased 459%. We anticipate a continued increase in both services.
Number of dental procedures performed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
General Medical, Mental & Dental Services
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Our dental program began in July of 2021 and has grown exponentially for hygiene and restorative work. We now perform root canals and provide dentures.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The Free Clinic will:
1. Target Chesterfield County for increased awareness of services
2. Target Hispanic population in all service areas through print and social media
3. Implement Medicaid reimbursement of dental services
4. Provide option for telehealth delivery of behavioral health services.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Increase service delivery to all applicable counties
Implement robust diversity, inclusivity and equity policies for all patients
Increase Hispanic outreach and service provision
Ensure these policies apply to staff, volunteers and board members
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The Clinic has a plan to sustain these additional expenses connected with your expansion of services, which includes the following:
1. Our fundraising success is proven. Our list of donors and partners has grown, and continues to grow, as our menu of services has grown.
2. The County of Powhatan will pay for utilities, cleaning, exterior maintenance and rent.
3. Our Clinic is able to provide the depth and breadth of services due to the commitment of volunteers. In 2022, administrative volunteer hours were 6694, nursing/dental hygiene hours were 1161 and medical staff hours were 227 for a total of 8082 hours equaling a cost savings of $202,760.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Since it's inception in 2008, the Clinic has increased from once a week in a Bon Secours Care-a Van to 800 square feet in the Health Dept building to our new sq feet building. Our patient numbers have increased 304% just in the past year thanks to our ini house dental clinic.
Our Hispanic outreach has resulted in a dramatic increase in spanish speaking patients, many who have not had primary health care for many years. We have hired a bilingual administrative assistant who is able to communicate with our patients by phone and also translates for the medical and dental providers.
With the implementation of Electronic Medical Records, we are now able to track clinical data information regarding diagnosis and lab results.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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Who are the people you serve with your mission?
Low income, under or un-insured adults from the counties of Powhatan, Amelia, Cumberland and Chesterfield counties.
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How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Paper surveys, Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person), Case management notes, Constituent (client or resident, etc.) advisory committees, Suggestion box/email,
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals,
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What significant change resulted from feedback?
Our Hispanic outreach program has increased our non-English speaking population. We have hired a bilingual administrative assistant who can translate for our Spanish patients when they call or be available to translate with their medical or dental provider. We have several committed Spanish speaking volunteers who are available to help with registration on Monday night and Tuesday morning for our Spanish speaking patients. Our registration forms on our webpage are now translated into Spanish as well. We are in the process of translating our entire webpage into Spanish.
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With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
Our staff, Our board, Our funders, Our community partners,
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How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship?
Obtaining feedback has improved our relationship with both returning and new patients. They feel an increased sense of commitment to their health care when they are an active participant in their care management.
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback,
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback,
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Free Clinic of Powhatan
Board of directorsas of 03/16/2023
Ms. Karla Curtis
Connie Moslow
Community Activist
Tim Benusa
CPA
Karla Curtis
Business Executive
Bryan Stevens
Minister
Demetrius Venable, PhD
Professor
Barbara Brown
Community Volunteer
Sheila Gunst
Design Consultant
Tonya Parris-Wilkins
Dentist
Will Perkinson
Dentist
Robb Stallworth
Market Director, Humana
Lynn Clayton-Prince
Education
Frank Rennie
Attorney
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 03/05/2023GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.