Fayette Care Clinic to Close After 20 Years Serving Uninsured Patients

After two decades of providing free medical care to uninsured residents, Fayette Care Clinic will close May 29, with patient services ending May 14.

A mission built on access to care

“For 20 years, Fayette Care Clinic has provided an excellent service to people within Fayette and surrounding counties, providing quality medical care to individuals living 200% below the poverty level without insurance,” said Executive Director Geneva Weaver.

The clinic treated approximately 1,000 unique patients each year, seeing them multiple times for ongoing needs sometimes as often as once a month.

“We treated everything from an infection in your fingernail down to a coronary bypass,” Weaver said. “Because of this clinic, many lives have been saved. Many lives have been changed.”

Funding challenges lead to closure

Weaver said the decision to close comes as funding sources have become harder to sustain.

“It’s just a sign of the times,” she said. “With the grants reducing, money not being as easily obtainable as it was in the past, we’ve just decided that now is the time to close doors and do what we have to do to refer our patients to other clinics.”

In a letter to patients, the clinic said the decision “was not made lightly” and thanked the community for its trust over the years.

Transitioning patients to continued care

Clinic leadership said ensuring continuity of care is a top priority.

“We have partnered with the Healing Bridge Clinic… They are prepared to welcome our patients and continue providing the services you need,” the clinic stated in its closing letter.

Patients are encouraged to begin transitioning care immediately.

• To schedule care: call Healing Bridge Clinic at 770-681-0157
• To transfer records: contact Fayette Care Clinic at 770-719-4620 or visit the office at 105C Bradford Square to complete a release form
• Patients with appointments scheduled after May 14 are asked to contact the clinic for coordination

Healing Bridge prepares to absorb patients

Mike Conaway, executive director of Healing Bridge Clinic, said the Peachtree City-based clinic is ready to meet the increased demand.

“We’ve got the bandwidth to absorb their patient base,” Conaway said. “We both serve the uninsured, 200% poverty level.”

Healing Bridge currently provides about 2,500 office visits annually, totaling roughly 8,000 patient encounters, and has room to expand.

“If we get $25,000 to $30,000 annually, we could easily cover those patients,” he said.

The clinic operates with volunteer providers, many of whom donate their time outside of demanding medical careers.

“That’s how these people give back to the community… that’s the heart of medicine right there,” Conaway said.

Those interested in supporting Healing Bridge Clinic can donate through its website at healingbridgeclinic.org/giving.

A community resource remembered

Fayette Care Clinic’s work has been supported for years by local donors, volunteers, and medical professionals.

Dr. Mike Mahaffey, an orthodontist and founder of Mahaffey Linkous Orthodontics, who has raised funds for the clinic through an annual charity golf tournament, said its absence will be felt.

“It did such amazing work for people who needed medical care,” Mahaffey said. “We really appreciate all the professionals who gave of their time and talents to help our fellow citizens and will miss having that as a community resource. We are happy to have heard that the Healing Bridge Clinic in Peachtree City has agreed to accept their patients.”

Community members have also begun sharing personal stories following the announcement.

“Fayette Care Clinic saved my mom’s life after I had to move her here from Florida after a devastating health decline,” one commenter wrote. “She needed so much care for so many issues and the team went above and beyond to help me navigate her journey. Our community will miss you.”

Volunteers at the heart of the mission

Weaver said the clinic’s success over two decades was driven by volunteers who gave their time and expertise.

“Your willingness to serve others—often without recognition or reward—makes a profound difference in the lives of so many individuals in our community,” she wrote in a letter to volunteers.

She added that patients were treated “with dignity, respect, and kindness,” and that the clinic could not have fulfilled its mission without that support.

Weaver also expressed appreciation for the clinic’s board members, noting that their leadership helped sustain the organization through two decades of service. She specifically recognized Dr. Bryan Woods, Dr. Nimish Dhruva, Dr. Greg Alvarez, and attorney Mark Skiebel, who she said dedicated years of time, expertise, and oversight to the clinic’s mission. Weaver said those leaders, along with other board members past and present, played a critical role in ensuring the clinic could deliver consistent, high-quality care to patients in need.

Looking ahead

As the clinic prepares to close its doors, leadership says the focus remains on a smooth transition and continued access to care for those in need.

“We are committed to making this process as smooth as possible,” the clinic stated.

For many in Fayette County, the clinic’s legacy will be measured not just in years, but in the lives it changed—and the care it made possible when few other options existed.