NLCHC runs on donations alone, with no government funding and no insurance billing. Every dollar comes from people who believe this work matters.
Donate NowPeople from 111 countries have come through that door since 2005. The clinic has never billed a patient, accepted government funding, or missed a Tuesday or Saturday. It runs on donations and volunteer time, nothing else.
Elmhurst has the highest percentage of uninsured residents in all of New York City. Forty-two percent of children born here have very late or no prenatal care. In a 2.4-square-mile neighborhood of 180,000 people from 111 countries, the need is not abstract.
NLCHC exists because a church decided to do something about it. Every year since 2005, volunteer doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, and social workers have given their Tuesday evenings and Saturday mornings to provide free care to anyone who walks through the door. No questions about insurance. No questions about documentation. No bill at the end.
What donations pay for is straightforward: pharmaceuticals dispensed at no cost to patients, medical and dental supplies, lab costs, and the facility expenses that keep the clinic running. The volunteer staff gives their time for free. Your money covers everything else.
"We will be the best stewards possible," David Jennings has said, "and when you come and visit us, you'll be proud of how you've invested your resources."
One afternoon at a health fair in Moore Park, a man stood in line with no particular interest in what the volunteers were offering. He made clear he wasn't interested in religion. By the time a physician had taken his blood pressure and checked his blood sugar, something had shifted. He looked up and said: "Well, I'll take one of those prayers."
Donations are tax-deductible. New Life Community Health Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
For many years, Barb Shiffer faithfully volunteered at NLCHC — cleaning, painting, and helping run outdoor community health fairs. She was a monthly donor for over a decade. When she prepared her estate plan, she placed the health center in it. That planned gift became the seed for NLCHC's sustainability fund.