FirstMed Health and Wellness

The Company was conceived in 2009 by a small group of physicians and health

professionals who wanted to make comprehensive healthcare services accessible to the

uninsured and underinsured. They believed that doing so would minimize the use of

hospital emergency rooms for indigent care. Additionally, removing access barriers faced

by the needy and the vulnerable would empower them to take personal responsibility for

their own health and enable them to become and/or remain productive members of

society.

We organized as a domestic non-profit corporation and received 501(c)(3) designation

from the IRS as a public charity. We dedicated ourselves to reaching out to and educating

at-risk communities and to providing quality preventive and primary health care services

to them.

By 2011, the full brunt of the economic downturn that started in 2008 became evident as

hundreds of people lost their homes, jobs and health insurance. We reevaluated our

capacity and capabilities and decided that the only way to meet the mushrooming health

needs of the community was to become a Federally Qualified Health Center (“FQHC”).

We embarked on a mission to collect survey and demographic data to document the

extent of the need and to establish collaborations and relationships with other clinics,

providers, community groups, health insurance companies, nursing and medical schools

and professional associations, local and state health agencies, faith-based organizations

and state and federal legislators. The process took 18 months of herculean effort and

creative leadership.

We were awarded FQHC status in September 2013. We now enjoy ready access to

Federal financial support, and more importantly, to best practices and innovative technical

assistance from health experts in government and national health associations and

cooperatives.