The Clinic & Its History
The Chippewa Valley Free Clinic (CVFC) is located at 1030 Oak Ridge Drive, Eau Claire, WI. It has a spacious reception area and six up-to-date exam rooms, as well as fully-furnished areas for a medication dispensary, a nursing station and lab, patient interviews, and office space. It also has a full, 3-chair dental clinic, physical therapy office, and vision clinic office. An electronic medical record system is used for patient health records.
As a primary care clinic, it serves individuals who are uninsured, provides health maintenance, helps people manage chronic illness, and provides minor urgent care. In our most recent fiscal year of 2024-2025, there were 4,743 total patient visits, 56% of whom were employed; the majority of patients were between 18 and 46 years of age.
Although the CVFC employs several paid staff members (most of whom are part-time), it is dependent primarily on volunteers. Over 145 individuals volunteer their time and expertise. Volunteer activities occur largely in two areas: (a) health care, such as physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, social workers, and lab and pharmacy technicians; and (b) clinic support, such as receptionists, administrative assistants, food providers, and interpreters. Volunteers also serve in the medical director position and as board members, contributing to special projects.
Last year, our volunteers logged more than 7,228 volunteer hours – an average of over 602 hours per month.
The CVFC was established in 1997. A small group of compassionate, forward-thinking community leaders came together to create a health care service for uninsured and low-income individuals.
In 2012, the Clinic was relocated from 421 Graham Avenue in downtown Eau Claire to a location on Richard Drive. The Clinic then moved back downtown for a brief period before moving to its current location in 2019. Our permanent home is now in the professional medical district just off West Clairemont Avenue at 1030 Oak Ridge Drive, Eau Claire, WI 54703.
The Clinic has been generously supported by various contributions and grant awards, including: Greater Chippewa Valley United Way, Pablo Foundation, Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Eau Claire Community Foundation, Roots & Wings Foundation, Green Bay Packer Foundation, and the incredible generosity of individual donors.
Many of our Clinic services are made possible in large part by our partnerships with healthcare leaders in our community, including Mayo Clinic Health System, Marshfield Clinic Health System, OakLeaf Surgical Hospital & Clinics, and Chippewa Valley Technical College.
Read our most recent Spring 2026 Newsletter
Chippewa Valley Free Clinic 990