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Clinic History

St. Francis House NWA, Inc. dba Community Clinic was founded in 1989 as a small faith-based organization that provided various services and resources to those in need. In 1994, St. Francis House NWA narrowed their focus to address the overwhelming need for quality, affordable health care for underserved residents of Northwest Arkansas. In 1998, the organization adopted the name Community Clinic. In 2004, Community Clinic received Section 330 designation as a health center. In 2005, Community Clinic became a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). In 2015 and 2016, Community Clinic’s medical locations were awarded Level 3 Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Recognition through the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). As a FQHC, we provide medical and dental services by offering a sliding scale fee discount in accordance with Federal Poverty Level Guidelines. We also accept ARKids 1st, Medicaid, Medicare, and third-party private insurance.

Community Clinic now has eighteen sites in Washington and Benton Counties, Arkansas: Medical Clinics in Springdale (2), Fayetteville, Rogers, Centerton and Siloam Springs; Dental Clinics in Springdale and Rogers; and School-Based Health Centers in Springdale (4), Pea Ridge, Prairie Grove , Fayetteville, Elkins and Siloam Springs.

Through the years, Community Clinic has grown to become Northwest Arkansas’ largest safety-net health care provider, serving more than 41,000 patients in 2022.

Community Clinic’s mission is “Delivering exceptional, accessible and comprehensive care through patient-focused service to our communities.” Our goals are to increase direct services to the underserved while expanding access to affordable, quality, comprehensive health care for all. We do this through:

  • Increasing access to health care and enhancing the patient experience of care: quality, access, and reliability.
  • Improving all aspects of patient care, including safety, effectiveness, patient-centeredness, timeliness, efficiency, and equity, and involving patients and families in plan of care.
  • Improving quality of care and health outcomes: Encouraging healthier lifestyles in the entire population, including increased physical activity, better nutrition, avoidance of behavioral risks, and wider use of preventive care: helping individuals improve management of chronic diseases.
  • Promoting cost-effectiveness: lower costs through improvement by promoting preventive medicine, improving coordination of health care services, and improving workflow efficiencies, reducing the national cost of health care and lower out-of-pocket expenses.

Services include primary care with integrated behavioral health, pediatric, prenatal, and dental care. Additional services include chronic disease management, especially of hypertension and diabetes, as well as screening and referral for cancer treatment. Laboratory services, X-rays, low cost medications (utilizing the Federal 340B program and manufacturers’ indigent pharmacy programs), nutrition and diabetic consultation, and assistance with enrollment in ARKids 1st/Medicaid are provided at each clinic location. Full-time Enrollment Specialists help enroll uninsured patients and community members in the Marketplace Exchange.