Chelsea Grace Clinic closing after 14 years

By Lisa Carolin

After 14 years serving close to 1,400 patients, Chelsea Grace Clinic is closing.

The clinic has been providing free medical care to uninsured and underinsured people in Western Washtenaw County with the help of Faith in Action.

The reason for closing is that patients have gotten signed up for health care insurance by the Affordable Care Act and can now take their new insurance and see a doctor in a regular office setting.

“We generally had six to eight primary care physicians as volunteers on our staff at any time – Dr. David Wesorick, Dr. Rodney Dewyer, Dr. Carla Page, Dr. Nicole Tromble, Dr. Jim Peggs, Dr. David Miller, Dr. Randy Forsch, Dr. Martin Gleespen, Dr. Bradford Wylie and myself,” said Dr. Diane Howlin, the founding medical director of Grace Clinic.

“Additionally, many other physicians donated free specialty visits and operations, labs, radiology services, pathology visits. When I called a Chelsea specialist and asked a favor, they always received our patients and took care of them at no cost,” she said.

Faith in Action provided free accommodations for the clinic, which received grants from sources including United Way, Dexter’s St. Joseph Church, Blue Cross and Chelsea Hospital’s Heart and Sole Race.

Hope Clinic in Ypsilanti helped start Chelsea Grace Clinic, which grew enough to have its own board and 501c3 and became Grace Clinic. It was first offered space by Dick Shaneyfelt at Faith in Action back in 2001 upon the request of Howlin.

“Grace Clinic served as a safety net to get people back on their feet with their health,” said Howlin. “Patients who have been served and then become employed often come back and give us a check and thanks.”

Howlin says efforts are now being focused on dental care.

“There is little available for free dental care in our area, and we help fund necessary dental at local practices who perform the work at cost,” she said. “Dr. Steven Rodriguez’s practice, Dr. Brent Kolb’s practice and Dr. Todd Napieralski’s practice have all helped our patients.”

Grace Clinic has meant a lot to Howlin personally.

“It was a way to use my medical knowledge of primary care to help others get back on their feet in their lives,” said Howlin. “I saw there was a need for patients to have free health care to get healthy enough to be employed or stable in their lives. Through the help of all the volunteers and the staff at Faith in Action and Grace Clinic, it became a reality. It’s a nice problem to have our patients now absorbed in regular health care settings.”