Who We Are

Strengthening the state’s health care safety net by empowering organizations that serve vulnerable populations.

Our Mission

The mission of the Georgia Charitable Care Network is to foster collaborative partnerships to deliver compassionate health care to low income Georgians. Our vision is to that all Georgians will have access to high quality health care.

A Shared Vision

In 2003, a group of Georgia healthcare leaders founded the Georgia Free Clinic Network – the precursor to the Georgia Charitable Care Network. They envisioned a unified network of state charitable care clinics that together would be a far stronger and more powerful voice on behalf of Georgia’s low-income and uninsured populations that any single community or clinic.

The Georgia Free Clinic Network changed its name in 2012 to become the Georgia Charitable Care Network and we have been educating, advocating, and fundraising on behalf of our member clinics ever since. In 2019, GCCN members provided $236 million in uncompensated care at an average cost of $126.82 per patient annually. They also reduced non-urgent ER usage by nearly 20% and saw medical professionals donate more than 340,000 hours to in-person patient care.

While much besides our name has changed over the years, one thing has remained constant: our desire to see all Georgians attain access to high-quality, affordable healthcare. Thanks to the dedication of our members and leadership, low-income and uninsured Georgians are healthier than ever.

Learn about our members

Georgia is home to nearly 100 free and charitable care clinics, in addition to the hundreds of other health care professionals who provide charitable care in their private practices. The clinics are staffed primarily by volunteers, with many of the private-practice caregivers offering their services for free or deeply discounted cost to qualifying patients. With more than 1.8 million uninsured Georgians, the need for their services is enormous and unlikely to decline within the foreseeable future.

GCCN members are as different as the communities they serve. Each varies in scope, service area, business model, and size, but all are aimed at providing care for those in need and relieving some of the pressure on taxpayer-supported healthcare. We are proud of our members’ tireless efforts on behalf of low-income populations and believe that our network is a model of how the private sector can offer healthcare to the uninsured at no cost to taxpayers.

Charitable Clinics

Charitable clinics make up the largest percentage of GCCN membership and are not-for-profit, community-based health centers focused on caring for uninsured, low-income, and vulnerable populations, such as immigrants. Their focus is on preventative care and their operations are funded by grants, patient fees, and private donations. Charitable clinics may accept Medicaid but are not eligible for enhanced reimbursements. Fees are generally either flat-rate or sliding-scale, with all care provided by volunteers and/or paid providers. All qualifying patients are accepted regardless of their ability to pay.

Free Clinics

Largely faith-based and supported by the surrounding community, free clinics offer care at zero cost to patients. Because they do not collect patients fees and rely heavily on donors and volunteers for support, free clinics must restrict eligibility for their services to patients who can demonstrate severe economic disadvantage and lack of access to primary, specialty, and/or prescription care.

Private Practices, Individual Physicians, and Dentists

Some caregivers may not be affiliated with any one clinic, but instead choose to provide free or reduced-cost care in their own private practice. These practitioners are eligible for GCCN membership as individuals, but may elect not to list their practice on our “Find a Clinic” page or publicly advertise their charitable care services. They may also be a good option for patients who do not live within easy driving distance of a community clinic.