Cheboygan’s Northern Care Center Grows, Provides Health Care for Community
Lindsay Knake
| 4 min read
Lindsay Knake is a brand journalist for Blue Cross B...
Key Takeaways
- The Northern Care Center reopened in downtown Cheboygan in August, offering free primary care services three evenings a week and planning to expand hours and add dermatology, women’s health and sports physical exams.
- The clinic relies on more than 20 volunteers and recent grants, including $15,000 from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, to serve uninsured and underinsured residents and help keep them out of costly emergency rooms.
- In addition to medical care, the center provides personal care items, Goodwill vouchers and referral assistance, reinforcing its role as a vital safety net resource in the rural community.
The Northern Care Center has been part of the Cheboygan community for two decades, providing basic medical care to those in need.
But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the free clinic had to close for a while and the number of patients dropped. Now, there’s a renewed effort to bring the Northern Care Center back to life.
“We know that health care is one of the things that are missing for people who are underinsured or uninsured. Coming up with thousands of dollars to hit a deductible is not always feasible, especially in a tourist destination town,” said Ashley Myers, executive director of business operations.
The clinic moved to downtown Cheboygan in August thanks to a community member who rented the space at an affordable price, so the Northern Care Center is now in the central hub of the community. The Northern Care Center offers all the same services and is in the process of adding new ones.
New executive clinical director, Megan Brach, RN, and more than 20 volunteers are on hand to provide care to community members in need.
Clinical care and support
The Northern Care Center is open from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, and they offer clinical services from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday. Myers said they are working on adding days and hope to be open all day, every day in the future. They also want to expand care to include dermatology, women’s health and sports physicals.
Getting primary care can be difficult in a rural community; an annual physical or appointment for renewing prescription drugs could take weeks or months, but the Northern Care Center can see patients more quickly. For those who struggle to pay their bills, a free visit for primary care can make a big difference, Myers said.
“In a rural area like this, most people live day-to-day, week-to-week, month-to-month,” she said. “We are going to be here when something small happens to save $20 in your pocket so you can feed your children.”
In areas where primary care isn’t as accessible, people may turn to much more expensive emergency departments for care. When more people use the emergency department for unnecessary care, it drives up health care costs for everyone. Free clinics like the Northern Care Center can make a big difference with that, Brach said.
“We just saw a patient with an ear infection. And if she hadn’t had it treated, the infection would have caused more damage to her ear and if she didn’t come here, it would have been thousands of dollars out of her pocket when it was something that was preventive and we could just solve it that day,” Brach said.
Beyond primary care, community members are welcome to come if they aren’t sure what to do or where to go next for other types of services. Volunteers and staff can help point people in the right direction, Myers said. Personal care and home hygiene items as well as Goodwill vouchers are also available at the Northern Care Center.
Community support in Cheboygan
The Northern Care Center is driven by volunteers, all of whom have other jobs and responsibilities. Doctors and nurses provide care, while others provide the necessary operations and administrative support.
“They volunteer their time to the community because they love and care for the community,” Brach said. “A core human need is to want to help others, and we build relationships by helping other people.”
It’s also thanks to financial support from community members and external grants that the Northern Care Center can provide services. Northern Care Center has been a Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Strengthening the Safety Net grantee since 2006 and has received $307,439 to date, including $15,000 this year.
“Without Blue Cross Blue Shield and the grant we get from them, along with the state of Michigan and the grant we get from [the Michigan Department of] Health and Human Services, we wouldn’t be here. They are two large donors that make our everyday needs possible,” Myers said. “We also have a great community that stands behind us, whether that be local churches or just people in general. It’s amazing to see who will step up and give some money when it’s needed.”
Northern Care Center is open primarily to uninsured and underinsured, but they serve everyone. Anyone interested can call (231) 333-3019 to schedule an appointment.
Since 2005, Blue Cross has partnered with up to 50 free and charitable clinics in Michigan each year to care for more than 250,000 uninsured or underinsured patients, provide care during more than 2 million visits, avoid more than 400,000 unnecessary emergency room visits and save more than $200 million.
Image: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
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