North Carolina association of free and charitable clinics

This work centers on the Community Care Clinic, a student-driven initiative that advances the Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine’s mission to serve underserved and rural populations across North Carolina. Established in 2014, the clinic provides free visits, laboratory testing, imaging, medications and mental health counseling exclusively to uninsured patients living at or below 200 percent of the U.S. poverty line. Unique in the nation for being run primarily by students—with physician and physician assistant oversight—the clinic comprises a standing site in Harnett County and two mobile sites, enabling reach into communities with limited access to primary care.

Under Cacioppo’s chairmanship of the Department of Community and Global Health, the clinic is sustained through a combination of a state grant that sponsors 1,500 patients annually, donations and targeted fundraising activities such as the CUCCC Gala. Student leadership plays a central role in operations and development; for example, students organize and run the annual fundraising gala, selling tickets and conducting auctions to generate resources that fill financial gaps beyond the state grant. As Cacioppo emphasizes, these fundraisers are essential to sustaining clinic operations and enabling continued service to patients who otherwise would have no access to care.

The clinic’s impact extends beyond individual patient encounters. It reported 1,687 visits in 2022 and 1,598 visits in 2023, reflecting steady utilization by the community. Annually, the clinic provides approximately $1.6 million in care and is estimated to save hospitals roughly $3.2 million by reducing emergency department usage for primary-care-treatable conditions. This dual impact—improving patient health outcomes while alleviating financial and clinical burdens on local hospitals—highlights the clinic’s role in promoting system-level community health.

Clinically, the Community Care Clinic addresses chronic and ‘silent’ conditions that disproportionately affect the region, such as diabetes and hypertension. By identifying and managing these conditions, students and supervising clinicians provide continuity of care that would otherwise be absent for patients living below the poverty threshold. The clinic’s integrated services, including an on-site pharmacy and lab testing, support comprehensive management and follow-up.

Beyond clinical metrics, the clinic fosters professional development and a culture of service among health professions students. Student leaders, including the clinic’s executive director and fundraising coordinators, frame their involvement as a commitment to community engagement and health equity. The program’s structure—student-led care with faculty oversight—serves as a model for experiential education that simultaneously meets community needs.