The Augusta University/University of Georgia Medical Partnership’s Athens Free Clinic has been honored with the 2023 Star of Community Achievement award by the Association of American Medical Colleges. This nationally recognized award acknowledges campuses that have enhanced community health or achieved social missions through collaboration.
Dr. Suzanne Lester, the clinic's director, expressed gratitude for the positive impact on the community. Established in 2018, the Athens Free Clinic provides primary care to underserved populations, staffed by Medical Partnership students, faculty, and staff. Athens Free Clinic sites currently include Acceptance Recovery Center, Advantage Behavioral Health Systems, Bigger Vision Community Shelter, Cedar Shoals High School, Clarke Central High School, Clarke Middle Health Center, Department of Public Health, Foothills Charter High School, Nuci's Space, Pinewoods Community and Potter's House.
The clinic, serving Athens-Clarke County, operates at various sites and has provided over $538,000 in care to 2,200 patients since March 2018. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it conducted 3,500 tests and administered 4,000 vaccines. The clinic's success was celebrated at the AAMC Annual Meeting in Seattle, and its work will be presented at the AAMC’s Regional Medical Campuses Conference in Washington, D.C., in June 2024.
