Mountain Strong Free Clinic
Opening Spring 2026
Mountain Strong's largest initiative for 2026 is the launch of a free clinic in Burnsville, North Carolina — bringing no-cost, compassionate care to uninsured and underinsured residents across Mitchell and Yancey counties.
Many residents here currently face long travel distances, delay care because of cost, or rely on emergency rooms for conditions that could be caught and treated earlier. The Free Clinic is built to change that.
What we'll offer:
Primary and urgent care
Mental and behavioral health services
Connection to trusted local providers for ongoing care
Help navigating Medicaid, Medicare, and other affordable coverage options
How we're building it:
The clinic is being developed in close partnership with local physicians, hospital systems, and community-based providers, designed to integrate with existing services rather than duplicate them. Coordinated referral pathways ensure patients don't fall through the cracks after their visit.
Mountain Strong is a member of the North Carolina Association of Free and Charitable Clinics, aligning our work with statewide best practices and a broader network committed to equitable access to care.
Our goal isn't just a visit. It's a pathway to ongoing care, to covered coverage, and to a healthier future for the mountains we call home.
The need is documented. The gap is clear.
Mitchell and Yancey Counties entered Hurricane Helene already carrying significant health disparities: 14% uninsured, poverty rates to match, and among the highest early mortality rates in the state.
Helene didn't create these vulnerabilities. It exposed and deepened them.
Studies document that 8–20% of disaster survivors develop PTSD, with rates reaching 30–40% in the most affected areas. Local data confirms the trend: youth trauma behaviors, social isolation among older adults, and persistent recovery stress are all rising.
The Mountain Strong Free Clinic is designed specifically for this moment: the critical post-disaster window in which accessible, trusted care can prevent acute need from becoming chronic impairment.
The 2025 Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response shows that significant mental health strain persists one year after Hurricane Helene in Mitchell and Yancey Counties.
More than 40% of households reported anxiety, approximately 30% reported depression and trouble sleeping, and 17% indicated they needed behavioral health care but did not receive it. Only 15% reported receiving counseling support, and 58% continue to report stress about another disaster affecting their home.
Transportation, insurance limitations, and system complexity were identified as ongoing barriers to care
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. CASPER Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response: Conducted in June & August of 2025, following Hurricane Helene in Mitchell & Yancey Counties, NC. 2025.
Free Clinic Services
Primary Care & Urgent Care: Basic medical treatment, wound care, prescriptions, and chronic disease management.
Mental Health Support: Trauma and culturally responsive crisis support, brief solution-focused mental health counseling, and referral pathways for ongoing therapy.
Telehealth: for increased accessibility to care.
Case Management: If needed, our staff will connect patients to long-term medical homes, behavioral health providers, and social services through our partnerships with the Long-Term Recovery Groups, which have hundreds of partners who offer unmet need services.