The Community Care Clinic of Dare (CCCD) has a credo: Basic healthcare is a necessity, not a luxury. That was true before COVID-19 brought us all to our knees, and it is still true today.

Lyn Jenkins, a registered nurse by profession, has served as CCCD’s executive director since spring 2020. The enthusiasm she has for her work and for those the clinic serves is palpable.

“There is nothing better than knowing that you’ve made a difference in someone’s life,” she says. “We have so many tools in our toolbox to provide comprehensive, high-quality primary care to our neighbors in need.”

At its core, the organization’s mission is to provide basic healthcare, medication assistance, and health/wellness education for financially challenged, uninsured people who live or work in Dare County, from Kitty Hawk to Hatteras. Founded in 2005 by a partnership between the Albemarle Hospital Foundation, Dare County Department of Public Health and The Outer Banks Hospital, the CCCD has addressed a growing need within the community. 

“We are a tourist community,” Jenkins explains. “The hospitality industry is big here, employing a lot of people. Many of our citizens are working part-time in seasonal positions, sometimes without health insurance or the means to pay for basic healthcare.”

Located in the old medical center in the Town of Nags Head, the modern, state-of-the-art facility currently accommodates some 600 adults.

In addition to two part-time paid nurse practitioners, there are seven part-time employees and ten volunteers. 

“We have several part-time volunteer nurses, a bilingual volunteer nurse, several Spanish interpreters, and two part-time administrative staff,” Jenkins says. “There are also two volunteer family practice physicians and a retired orthopedic surgeon who makes themselves available once each month.”

Since the pandemic, telemedicine has been implemented making health care more easily accessible for patients. This has been accomplished in large part due to generous support from the NC Association of Free and Charitable Clinics.

“They were instrumental in getting the doctors up and running on a TeleMed platform and they have helped with support and funding for all of the clinics. A patient without a phone can come here to the clinic or be seen in Frisco where they will have access to a laptop computer or iPad. Then, they can consult the nurse practitioner who is working remotely.”

To be eligible to receive services from CCCD, a patient must be an adult over the age of 18, live or work in Dare County and have no health insurance (this includes Medicare, Medicaid and ACA). For seniors without Medicare Part D, CCCD can access many expensive, brand-name medications at no cost. Patients are required to show documentation that proves they live or work in Dare. Each year, patients are required to recertify, showing that they continue to meet the guidelines for care.

At Albemarle Project Access, where physicians have donated their services, patients who are referred and enrolled receive an ID card that looks like an insurance card. There are no copays and the claim forms track donations of the physicians’ time. “It’s a great collaboration. Through our relationships, we refer patients to the specialists they need, and we can get them the radiology services they need, including MRIs and CTs through Chesapeake Imaging Center.”

Indeed, in Dare County, there are no more brick walls when it comes to the uninsured, something that Jenkins believes also speaks well to large hospital facilities and doctors’ offices who are part of medical groups where patients can apply for financial assistance. She marvels at the many partners and supporters who make it all possible.

“We have incredible partners providing essential ancillary services at reduced and often no cost to our patients.”

Assistance and services are made possible with funding from multiple sources, including state, county, and town grants, foundations, private donations, and business donations. Over the years partners have included Albemarle Project Access, NC Prevent Blindness, Chesapeake Imaging, Ryan White HIV group, Port Mental Health, and NC Med-Assist, to name
a few. 

“I am so grateful for all of our partners and people in the network who collaborate to help others. From the Beach Food Pantry to Social Services, the Health Department, the hospitals, and community outreach programs to the Town of Nags Head who gives us a break on our rent in this wonderful facility, I’m so thankful for these relationships.”

Since health and well-being extend beyond the physical, it cannot be overstated that mental health illness is a disease like any other disease. Through CCCD, there is treatment available whether through specialists or for medication services.

“We are absolutely able to help with mental health referrals and medication assistance,” Jenkins says. “In fact, medication assistance is a big part of what we do – making sure patients have access to the medicines they need at no cost. We have a grant through Trillium Health Resources that provides funding for mental health medications and three local pharmacies partner with us to provide that assistance.”

In terms of wellness education, she and her colleagues were especially excited to participate in a pilot program related to nutrition called The Food Pharmacy this past year. “The goal is to combat illness through nutrition and education,” she says. “Through a collaboration with Beach Food Pantry, we were able to provide individualized weekly education sessions with patients, mostly those with uncontrolled diabetes.”

At the end of the day, Jenkins takes great pride in the feedback the clinic receives from the patients themselves, many of whom have experienced the frustration of hitting that proverbial brick wall.

“When they fill out a satisfaction survey, some say that they had nowhere else to turn, so they came here. They were both surprised and so happy – not just because they received the care they needed, but because they were treated with dignity.”

In Dare County, there are no more barriers when it comes to the uninsured. It is a community that truly watches out for its own.

The clinic is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.; Friday appointments are available twice a month. There is also a satellite location at the Health Department located at 50347 Route 12 in Frisco.