All Franklin County uninsured residents are now eligible for free medical services at the Bernard Healthcare Center

Franklin County, Virginia — The Bernard Healthcare Center has helped people without health insurance who need medical care, prescriptions, or a general checkup for more than 30 years. People in the community with low incomes have a place to go because of the health service.

The Franklin County Free Clinic, which is now the Bernard Healthcare Center, began in 1992 as a one-room clinic on Dent Street in Rocky Mount. Over the years, the clinic’s services grew, and as it grew, it moved to different places. In 2014, Schewel’s Plaza in Rocky Mount, where it is now, was built.

Even though the clinic has been in Franklin County for a long time, it still surprises Executive Director Ellen Holland to hear that some people don’t know about it or what it does. She says that it is the same as going to any other place for medical care.

Holland said, “We are the same as any other doctor’s office.”

The clinic has five exam rooms and a waiting room, just like a doctor’s office. The staff and equipment are the same as in any doctor’s office. Doctors, nurse practitioners, and a physician assistant make up the staff.

Every Thursday, residents can get the medicine they need from the clinic’s pharmacy. Holland said, “We meet the same requirements as a CVS.”

People who may not be able to afford them on their own can also get a lot of over-the-counter medicines at the clinic.

The clinic just opened a telehealth room where people who don’t have broadband internet at home can get help with their mental health. Holland said that it is a test run.

The goal of the clinic is to give people in Franklin County who need it low-cost health care. Holland said that she would like to see more people come in for checkups once a year instead of only when they notice something is wrong. She said that getting a checkup every year can catch any health problem before it gets worse.

Holland also said that a large number of patients come often because they have diabetes or high blood pressure. They can get the services they need with help from the clinic.

Holland says that one thing that is different from a typical doctor’s office is the amount of time doctors take between patients. Most doctors only have a few minutes to spend with each patient, but at the free clinic, patients can talk about their problems for up to an hour.

Costs to visit the health clinic for people without insurance range from $0 to $95, depending on how much money they make. Anyone who wants to find out how much they would pay can make an appointment to register.

“Some people think they won’t make it, but they do,” Holland said.