Expansion of Community Health Centers to Essex - a History & Services

Kim Anderson is the Director of Development for the Community Health Centers of Burlington.  CHC-Burlington has just expanded to Essex, located in the City of EJ, sharing a building with Essex Pediatrics.

This expansion is a significant - bringing this federally supported health care center to Essex and to patients with full insurance and to those who are less able to pay.

Kim will help us understand the evolution of this health care resource and its potential impact on residents of Essex and surrounding communities.  

History of CHC in Vermont: 

In 1971, the People’s Free Clinic opened in a tiny storefront in Burlington’s Old North End.  Announcing “a new kind of health care,” the People’s Free Clinic founders envisioned a mission that would make a resonating statement: every person—regardless of age, race, class, or gender—deserves good medical care despite their ability to pay.

Staffed entirely by volunteers—including two local physicians—the small clinic saw 50 people per week by the end of the following year, often treating minor wounds, providing health information, and sick visits.  Soon, the clinic would strengthen its commitment to grow, and become the Community Health Centers of Burlington (CHCB).

CHCB was officially awarded the federal status of a Healthcare for the Homeless Program grantee in 1989 and today remains the only organization in Vermont with this designation, ensuring completely free access to health care for individuals and families experiencing homelessness. CHCB was then designated Vermont’s second Federally Qualified Health Center, allowing for additional support and enabling services such as social work and financial assistance. The success of this model was demonstrated with the outpouring of community support in 2001 that enabled CHCB to create its 10,000 square foot flagship main facility on Riverside Avenue.