Since opening on Nov. 1, 2022, the Tracy City Free Clinic has welcomed 185 patients and conducted 518 medical visits. The Clinic is in the Littell-Partin Center (the old high school) in Tracy City and is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dr. Thomas Phelps, Medical Director, is the primary care physician and Beth Sperry, NP, practices women’s health on Tuesday mornings. Maggie Parmley, Medical Assistant, supports the providers and Marilyn Phelps is the office manager. Students from the University of the South assist in the clinic as well.

Uninsured patients from all locations are welcome. All visits are free of charge and most medications are either free or deeply discounted. Due to the high prevalence of Hepatitis C in the area, the Clinic applied for and received a grant from the South Cumberland Community Fund to pay for patient testing. Hepatitis C treatment is funded by grants from pharmaceutical companies. As a result, testing and treatment of Hepatitis C is free to TCFC patients. Hepatitis C is typically unnoticed without testing until the disease is in its later stages; however, it is curable with correct diagnosis and medication.

TCFC patients have not had insurance for eight years on average and therefore have had little access to healthcare other than the emergency room. Now that the clinic is open, patients have a medical home and can receive primary care and women’s health treatment without medical bills. “We lag way behind in vaccination. Tobacco use remains too high. Malnutrition is common,” observes Dr. Phelps. “I am certain that persistent support from the South Cumberland Community Fund and other kind donors for meaningful programs will make generational improvement in the lives of people who live here. I am grateful that I can be a small part of that effort.”

For more information, please contact the clinic at (931) 592-4000.