Free Clinic of Powhatan expands to accept patients on Medicaid, impacting over 2,000 in the county

POWHATAN COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- The Free Clinic of Powhatan is expanding its care to people with Medicaid. The clinic is a medical resource for uninsured adults in Powhatan, Chesterfield, Amelia and Cumberland counties.

Nearly 5,000 people in Powhatan, Amelia and Cumberland are eligible to receive care now through their Medicaid plan -- 2,173 adults in Powhatan, 1,470 in Cumberland and 1,332 in Amelia.  

“They’re able to get care sooner," said Samantha Donald, the clinic's development manager. "They’re able to see a consistent primary provider. A lot of times with Medicaid they have to jump around.” 

Since 2008, the clinic has provided free medical, dental, mental health and nutrition services to uninsured adults. Care for them won't change with the expansion of Medicaid.

Medicaid gives free or low-cost health coverage to low-income families, seniors or people with disabilities through state and federal funding.  

A community health assessment done by the Virginia Department of Health in the Chesterfield Health District shows one of the top health and social concerns in Powhatan County is financial insecurity.

While over 5,000 people in the clinic’s target areas are now eligible, anyone with a Virginia Medicaid plan can register to be seen on the clinic's website.

According to USAFacts, Medicaid is one of the largest insurers in the Commonwealth. One in five Virginians were covered by it in 2024. 

“It’s just, wow, where these people getting care? Cumberland County itself we’ve been told has no private healthcare insurance or anything like that," Donald said. "They’re driving out of Cumberland County to get care, so we definitely want to be here for that that need it.” 

The clinic, located at 2320 Skaggs Road, is run by nearly 80 volunteers from doctors to dentists to people handling data entry, and are funded through donations, community support and government assistance. 

They're expecting to increase how many people it serves from 500 to 1,000 over the next three years. To handle the load, they'll have clinic days three days a week instead of two, adding Wednesdays to the schedule.