WelcomeHealth in Fayetteville plans 10-year anniversary event

by Talk Business & Politics staff ([email protected]) 586 views 

Fayetteville medical clinic WelcomeHealth will celebrate a milestone on Jan. 19.

The free health clinic has an open house planned from 10-11:30 a.m. to celebrate a decade at its existing location at 1100 N. Woolsey Ave.

Founded in 1986 in a church basement as the Northwest Arkansas Free Health Center, WelcomeHealth provides medical care, dental care, and support services in partnership with other community resources to low-income individuals regardless of their ability to pay or insurance status.

The clinic operates five days a week using volunteer physicians, dentists, pharmacists, nurses, technicians and lay volunteers, coordinated by a small paid staff and governed by a volunteer board of directors.

WelcomeHealth relocated to the remodeled county-owned building on Woolsey Avenue in 2013 from the old National Guard Armory building at 10 S. College Ave.

Monika Fischer-Massie is the organization’s executive director since 2002.

“I have seen many changes throughout the years, and one of the most memorable changes was the remodel and move to our current facility in 2013,” she said. “We were so fortunate to have the mastermind of [Fayetteville architect] Marlon Blackwell as our architect and many amazing community supporters who helped us fund the project.”

In 2021, WelcomeHealth provided 11,400 services to 2,200 patients.