The Clinic
Overview
Since 1995, the Viola Startzman Clinic (VSC) has provided high-quality comprehensive medical and dental care, wellness education, medications, and related health services at no charge to qualifying patients. Today, it is the largest free clinic in Ohio and has expanded care to accept patients with Medicaid and other insurance plans. The clinic became accredited as a Rural Health Clinic in July 2017.
While anyone can access care at the VSC, our mission is to serve as a safety net for lower income patients who struggle to access care in other places. All insurances are accepted, as are self-pay patients. If you are uninsured or have a high deductible and cannot afford your care, our generous donors have allowed us to offer a "Charitable Care Program" which provides discounted or even free care to qualifying patients. To qualify for free or discounted care, patients must live in Wayne County (or Holmes County for dental care only) and provide documentation to prove your household income is at or below 250% of the federal poverty level.
The VSC is a member of the Ohio Association of Free Clinics, the National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics, and the National Association of Rural Health Clinics.
Mission
The Viola Startzman Clinic provides medical and dental care to lower income residents of Wayne County, in an atmosphere of dignity and respect.
Our Staff
Jaime Parsons, Executive Director
Eric Smith, MD, Medical Director
Mark Gustafson, DDS, Dental Director
Jodi Swihart, APRN-CNP
Carol Labuza, Case Manager
Angela Flickinger, Practice Manager & Volunteer Coordinator
Our Board
Dr. Brett Buller Alexsandra Davis Jenny Derksen
Jacki Gallagher Tammy Hoffman Dr. Adam Keating
Tom Longworth Lynn Moomaw Ryan Ozar
Kevin Platz Roger Proper Ferenc Relle, Jr.
Jay VanSickle
The Clinic in Numbers
The VSC treated 5,987 patients in 2018 for a total of 21,599 patient visits. In addition, the VSC has a well-established referral system in place with over fifty local specialists who treat VSC patients at their facilities at low or no cost to the patient. In 2018 alone, the VSC made over 1,000 such referral appointments for medical issues including cardiology, gastroenterology, and ophthalmology, to name a few. We are grateful for these valuable connections in the medical community which allow us to provide patients with high-quality, comprehensive care.