The Campbell University Community Care Clinic has earned the 2024 Gold Rating for Quality Standards Program from the National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics. The clinic, based in the Jerry M. Wallace School of Medicine, achieved the highest scores in categories that included patient care, clinic and pharmacy responsibilities, risk management systems, credentialing and privileging systems and administration.
The NAFCC, of whom the Campbell clinic is a member, has a set of strict standards for its clinic members, said Dr. Joe Cacioppo, chair of Community and Global Medicine at the medical school.
“The standards look at every aspect of clinic operation, from administration, patient care and quality assessment through risk management,” he said. “Each category is broken down into specific topics and given a point value.”
The total is 100 points, and the Campbell clinic scored 99. To receive the Gold Seal, the clinic must score at least 71 points.
Caring for the underserved and rural populations, throughout North Carolina and beyond, is a primary mission of Campbell’s med school.
Established in 2014 within the med school, the community clinic is composed of physicians and physician assistants who oversee teams of medical, physician assistant and pharmacy students.
The clinic is funded through a state grant, which sponsors 1,500 patients a year. Beyond that it relies on donations and other support.
The med school regularly uses its mobile clinics throughout Harnett County and other rural areas throughout North Carolina, offering free visits, lab work, imaging and medications to people who would not otherwise have access to health care. The clinic sees only uninsured patients, living at or below 200 percent of the U.S. poverty line.
It’s the only such clinic in the country run solely by students, with some faculty oversight. Among its services the clinic offers routine lab work, treatment of minor medical problems, physical exams, vaccinations and more.
New site
In addition to the mobile clinics, Campbell operates a standing clinic Tuesday evenings at 40 Autumn Fern Trail in Lillington, in the First Choice Health building, and now will add a new location in Dunn. The five-room clinic, set to open April 22, will be housed in the Dunn United Ministerial Association, 323 E Broad St.