July 17, 2020 — Since the beginning of the pandemic, the has been open, and has been servicing Lorain County for 34 years. They aim to provide comprehensive healthcare to those with no insurance, the underinsured, and the underserved.

All of the medical providers at the free clinic are volunteers and come from 4 hospitals: Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, MetroHealth and Mercy Health. The volunteers include nursing professionals, pharmacists, retired providers, and other healthcare professionals on a rotating basis.

"[The volunteers] are the backbone of our organization. They are truly incredible people," said Paul Baumgartner, Executive Director.

Patients may call the Free Clinic for an application or schedule an appointment. The clinic cannot offer Walk in Care at this time, but is accepting new patients.

Baumgartner said they have gotten amazing support from Lorain and Cuyahoga counties for extra expenses occurring as a result of the pandemic.

"We don't have a service revenue stream or get help from the government, so we are dependent on the generosity of our community," said Baumgartner.

Baumgartner has been with the free clinic for 25 years, and sees the greatest reward being successful in continuing the mission of the organization that started in 1986.

"The greatest fulfillment is seeing medical providers in action and seeing them make a difference in the lives of the most vulnerable in the county," Baumgartner added. "If it wasn't for some of these doctors and early detection, these people might not be here today. These heroes save lives."

Lorain County Free Clinic can be found on Facebook and Twitter. If you want to support the work of the clinic, you may make a gift online https://lcfreeclinic.com. They are located on 5040 Oberlin Ave, Lorain, OH 44053, and can be reached at 440.277.6641.