Knox Clinic Hosts Public Meeting

Knox Clinic Hosts Public Meetings in Thomaston April 17th– 2pm & 6 pm (Thomaston Public Library Conference Room) May 11th– 6pm (Lura Libby Room at the Municipal Building) The Knox Clinic presented a plan to bring a new community health center to Thomaston at the Select Board meeting on March 27th. The Knox Clinic has three public meetings scheduled where your voice and ideas are welcome. Join the conversation! Who is the Knox Clinic? The Knox Clinic is a volunteer based non-profit advocating for and providing free/ low cost medical, dental, prescription assistance, mental health and wellness services to the uninsured and underinsured in Knox County. The Knox Clinic has successfully provided increased community access to general medical and preventative care since 1999. What is the future of the Knox Clinic? The Knox Clinic hopes to create a community health center on a section of the Thomaston Green with Route 1 frontage. The hope is to forge a new sustainable model that will expand healthcare services to everyone in the mid-coast, regardless of ability to pay. Services provided are to include medical, dental, behavioral health, and wellness care. The center will accept insurance, both private, Medicare, Mainecare, as well as offer a sliding scale, and a discounted same day rate. Why Thomaston? Thomaston is centrally located to help serve the peninsula communities and other surrounding towns. Thomaston’s comprehensive plan recognizes the need for healthcare in town. This prompted members of the Select Board to approach the Knox Clinic and together submitted a joint proposal for Knox County American Rescue Plan Act funds to move the Knox Clinic to Thomaston, resulting in a $1.2 million federal grant award. Why the Thomaston Green? The project is not just a health center, but a community hub that brings people together. It will be most successful if it is centrally located, easily accessible, and part of a thriving community, rather than in an industrial park or remote location. The Knox Clinic intends to explore how the center could improve year round access to the Green through dual purpose design, such as public bathrooms or shared parking areas. Additionally, the Clinic would be a perfect partner for grants to create accessible walking paths, assist with community gardens and other projects at the Thomaston Green. Want to learn more? Join the conversations on April 17th and May 11th. Visit the Knox Clinic website at www.knoxclinic.org/news. For more information, please email Executive Director Meredith Batley at Meredith@knoxclinic.org.