Compassionate Health Center in Rochester recently received an $18,000 grant from the Fulton-Pulaski Pastorate and a $3,000 donation from St. Joseph Catholic Church of Rochester’s Lazarus Ministry. Shown from left are CHC Board Member Maurice Cohagan, CHC Board President Justin Miller, CHC Executive Director Mary Kay, Melissa VanNess, with the Fulton County Pastorate, Father Dennis Faker with the Fulton County Pastorate, and Deb Weber with the Lazarus Ministry of St. Joseph Catholic Church. Photo provided by the CHC.

By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

ROCHESTER — Fulton County residents who can’t afford health care have a local resource through Compassionate Health Center.

“We provide free quality integrated health care,” said its Executive Director Mary Kay.

Anyone without private or government insurance is welcome to take advantage of CHC’s services. Those include appointments with nurse practitioner Jayme Parker, vision care provided through Family Eye Care and dental services via dentists Dr. Anne Sy and Dr. Caitlin Rich.

The Akron Lions Club also helps fund glasses for CHC patients, and Woodlawn Hospital also offers services through CHC.

“We (also) network with 4C Health and (the University of) Notre Dame, and they (gave us) an in-house mental health counselor, who is a doctoral student at Notre Dame,” added Kay.

CHC also can help people receive “either free or low-cost medications,” she said.

The nonprofit facility was started in 2009 and is located at 740 N. SR 25, Rochester.

“We exist through donations, fundraisers and grants,” said Kay of CHC’s funding.

CHC’s prime fundraiser is its annual golf outing held at the Round Barn Golf Club in Rochester.

Kay said CHC has around 100 regular clients, but the organization expects to see more.

“If there’s 20,000 people in Fulton County and (statistics are the population is) 11% uninsured, we ought to have at least 1,500 patients,” she said. “I think that it’s probably a situation where they’re just struggling day to day that until a health crisis comes up, it doesn’t matter.”

Kay said CHC would prefer to have clients come in to start a relationship while they are healthy as “it’s really hard to get them back (to) wellness (after they’ve been sick).”

She said clients should just stop by 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday to see if they’re eligible for services.

Rules are clients must be age 18-64 and have no other insurance, including Medicaid. Clients don’t have to be from Fulton County necessarily to get services too, said Kay.

CHC also takes clients who come from households “up to 300%” of federal poverty guidelines.

“People sometimes come to us thinking I’m employed, yet with no health insurance, but they (won’t) take me. (That’s) not true,” noted Kay. “Sixty-nine percent of our patients are working. They just can’t afford health care. So, it’s pretty generous.”

“A single person could make $40,000 and still come to us, so we don’t want anybody not coming because they feel they make too much,” she continued. “Come see us. We’ll figure that out.”