Macon Volunteer Clinic helps uninsured patients get care

Valda Fout first stepped into the Macon Volunteer Clinic five years ago.

A friend recommended the clinic to Fout, who suffers from lupus, an incurable disease that causes the body’s immune system to attack its own tissues and organs, leading to inflammation that can affect joints, skin, kidneys, the brain, heart and other body parts. 

She relies on the volunteer clinic for regular checkups and prescriptions as well as dental and eye care.

“If they weren’t here, I would not be able to see a doctor,” said Fout, who has lived in Macon for 15 years. “I can’t afford insurance.”

Fout is one of more than 1.2 million Georgians who don’t have health coverage, according to data from the Georgia Health Initiative. That’s the third-highest uninsured rate in the country.

The clinic was founded 22 years ago to help fill the void, and its executive director, John McCard, says that mission has never been more critical.

Many experts predict that the number of uninsured people will increase drastically following the Dec. 31 expiration of Affordable Care Act-enhanced subsidies. The subsidies, which went into effect during the pandemic, significantly lowered the cost of health insurance plans bought through Obamacare-created health exchanges.

Premiums will more than double for exchange enrollees, according to health researchers at KFF.

Even with the ACA and its subsidies, many still couldn’t afford insurance coverage or struggled with health care costs. Located on Walnut Street, the clinic, which offers medical care at no charge, serves 13 Middle Georgia counties with an array of medical services, including primary, gynecological and endocrinological care, cancer screenings and mental health counseling.

The nonprofit accepts employed adults residing in participating counties who are uninsured and earn an income at 200% or below the federal poverty level.

In 2024, more than 90% of patients earned less than $35,000 a year, according to clinic officials.

The clinic was founded in 2003 by retired OB-GYN Chapin Henley. He died in 2024, and McCard, a retired Episcopal priest from a family of medical professionals, took the helm of the clinic. That same year, the practice — through 150 volunteering doctors, health providers and medical students — served more than 300 patients.

Many of the clinic’s providers are retired, including its cardiovascular surgeon and optometrist. Medical interns complete training and gain firsthand patient experience through their work there.

In March 2025, the organization more than doubled its working space, moving from its original location on Rogers and Ingleside avenues to its new 11,000-square-foot space in downtown Macon.

The clinic’s new home includes a full dental wing, which is a significant improvement from the original space. That space required workers to use examination rooms for multiple services. It also lacked a designated room for its marriage and family counseling program, McCard added.

McCard said the new clinic is “more accessible,” and he hopes to increase the organization’s community visibility and bring in more specialists. 

The clinic offers more than just medical care, McCard said. A partnership with Piedmont Health Systems allows the clinic to host classes open to the public. Topics range from diabetes management, healthy eating on a budget and how to transition from insurance to Medicare.

Learn more at maconvolunteerclinic.org.