Lake Huron Medical Center, Port Huron, partners with the People’s Clinic for Better Health, which has been providing life-saving healthcare at no cost to the uninsured and underinsured in St. Clair County for more than 35 years.
After seeing an increase in patients in the emergency department with no primary care due to having no health insurance, physicians identified the need to have a free clinic to help these individuals. Located within St. Clair County Community Mental Health, the clinic is open five days a week and accepts patients who are 18 years or older who are without insurance or receive Medicaid. The clinic provides routine health screenings, women’s health, non-emergency maintenance care of chronic illness, wellness checkups, specialist referrals, lab and radiology testing, diabetes education, benefits counseling and more. In 2024 alone, the clinic had a total of 1,239 patient visits and nearly 400 volunteer hours – 170 of those hours donated by local physicians.
In early 2025, the People’s Clinic expanded their scope by creating a mobile clinic program, which partners with local health and human service agencies to bring a clinic on the road for people in need of primary care. The clinic has many volunteers that donate their time, including registered nurses, medical students, mobile clinic volunteers, physicians and six paid staff members.
“Every person deserves access to quality, compassionate care, regardless of their income or insurance status,” said Justin Hooks, FNP-BC, AAHIVS. “At the People’s Clinic, we meet patients where they are and walk beside them toward better health outcomes and dignity in care.”
For more information and hospital stories, check out the 2025 Community Impact Report. Members with questions may contact Lucy Ciaramitaro at the MHA.