Originally published in November 2023.

Since our founding in 1994, Arlington Free Clinic has expanded into a comprehensive primary and specialty medical, dental, and behavioral healthcare home where our staff is joined by a team of more than 400 clinical and non-clinical volunteers who annually provide thousands of hours of care and care coordination to 1400 Arlingtonians living with a low-income and without health insurance. As we celebrate this monumental milestone, we look forward to our next decade of service, grateful for the rich partnerships and strong support which fuel our mission to build a healthier community for all.”

With pro bono diagnostic services from Arlington Hospital (now VHC Health) and promises of volunteer support from 60 physicians and 50 others, on January 11, 1994, Arlington Free Clinic started seeing patients one night a week after-hours in the converted hallways and nurse’s office of Thomas Jefferson Middle School.

Evolving

To primary care, chronic disease management, and limited specialty services, AFC soon added an on-site pharmacy, physical therapy, and mental health programs. As services continued to expand and patient numbers reached 1400, we moved into space on the Columbia Pike corridor, rooting ourselves firmly — to this day — in the neighborhood where the majority of our patients live.

Maturing

With the 2014 expansion of Medicaid in VA, the make up of AFC’s patients shifted to a primarily immigrant population. We added dental, expanding the program and bringing it onsite several years later. Around this time — and to an even greater extent during the Covid-19 pandemic — AFC began playing a prominent role in advocating for changes in the community conditions that impact the health of our patients and other Arlingtonians living with a low income.

Looking Ahead

AFC adopted a new mission in the fall of 2023 that reflects our expanded commitment to removing barriers to health. By continuing to provide direct healthcare services while simultaneously working upstream to change the conditions that are contributing to poor health outcomes, AFC aims to better serve our patients and make a lasting impact on the health of our community.