“Cape Fear Clinic provides compassionate and affordable patient-centered healthcare to low income individuals and families in the Cape Fear region regardless of ability to pay.”

The Cape Fear Clinic was founded in 1991 through the efforts of three physicians – members of the St. Mary Catholic Church in Wilmington – who realized many poor people in southeastern North Carolina had little or no access to medical care for chronic conditions. 

Doctors Mary O’Brien, Angelina Knox, and Victor Nava, assisted by Sister Isaac Koenig, established the clinic to provide that care. Originally seeing patients on a first-come, first-served basis on Wednesday evenings, we served approximately 20 people per week. Our patients were those who neither had health insurance nor qualified for government health assistance. Because of their financial situation, they were not asked to pay for their care. 

The new clinic attracted many patients and grew rapidly. It soon found a home near the church in the basement of the old landmark Tileston School building and became known as the Tileston Health Clinic. As our patient load and mandate grew, we at the clinic needed a larger space than the space afforded in the school’s basement.

In 2007, the clinic relocated to a three building campus near New Hanover Regional Medical Center through the generous donation of a Wilmington family.

In August 2011, Tileston Health Clinic became Cape Fear Clinic (CFC) to better represent the community we currently serve. Our patients, whose incomes are less than 200% of federal poverty guidelines, reside in New Hanover, Brunswick, Pender, and Columbus counties. We provide care for acute and chronic conditions to those who otherwise would receive inadequate medical care or no health care at all.

Your support, whether as a volunteer or donor, or both – makes us a stronger organization, working for a stronger, healthier community.