Heartland Community Health Center

Heartland Community Health Center is a comprehensive healthcare provider located in Lawrence, Kansas, with a steadfast commitment to offering accessible, affordable, and high-quality integrated healthcare services to all individuals in the community. As a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), Heartland plays a crucial role as a safety net clinic, welcoming patients who are insured, uninsured, or underinsured, and operating on a sliding fee scale based on income to ensure care is within reach for everyone. The center's philosophy revolves around "whole-person" health, recognizing that physical, mental, and dental health are interconnected. To this end, Heartland provides a broad spectrum of services under one roof, fostering a truly integrated care model. Key services include: Primary Medical Care: Offering patient-centered primary care for children, adolescents, and adults of all ages, including well visits, diagnosis and treatment of acute illnesses and injuries, immunizations, sports physicals, and chronic illness management. Pediatric Care: Through their partnership with Panda Pediatrics, Heartland provides exceptional primary and specialty care for children and adolescents up to 21 years of age, including a dedicated walk-in clinic for non-emergent sick symptoms. Dental Care: Comprehensive dental treatment and oral health services for all ages, delivered both in their clinic and through community-based programs like "Healthy Futures," which brings free dental care to schools. Services include cleanings, X-rays, fillings, and extractions. Mental & Behavioral Health: A robust program encompassing psychiatry, individual, couples, and family therapy, and substance use disorder treatment. They recently expanded these services with the opening of "Bluestem Wellness" in late 2024, providing a dedicated facility for mental health support. Pharmacy Services: The on-site "River City Pharmacy" offers affordable medications and participates in the 340B pricing program, which allows Heartland to provide discounted prescriptions, with the proceeds supporting care for underserved populations. Wrap-around Services: Beyond direct medical care, Heartland provides essential supportive services such as insurance eligibility assistance (including Medicaid and ACA Marketplace enrollment), community resource navigation, and the "Care Cupboard" food pantry, which offers healthy food options to patients and the general public. Heartland Community Health Center has a rich history rooted in the civil rights movement's push for accessible healthcare. It emerged in the late 1990s from a small classroom in a church basement, initially providing care to the uninsured. As demand grew, it relocated and, in 2012, earned its federal designation as an FQHC. The center has continued to expand its reach and services, including mergers with Panda Pediatrics and Douglas County Dental Clinic in 2020, and the opening of River City Pharmacy in 2022, and Bluestem Wellness in 2024. Their mission remains "Welcoming all who need care," striving to break down socioeconomic barriers and improve health outcomes for the entire community.