Free & Low-Cost Clinics in Columbus, NC

Who runs these clinics

2 health-center organizations run the 4 clinics in Columbus. Figures are each organization's own federal report for all its sites (HRSA UDS 2025), not this city alone.

• Blue Ridge Community Health Services, INC. — 3 sites here, 90 in total. 82,680 patients in 2025, 18% uninsured.
• Mountain Area Health Education Center, INC. — 1 site here, 60 in total.

Health centers near Columbus

• Tryon (1) · 3 mi
• Mill Spring (3) · 6 mi
• Lake Lure (2) · 11 mi
• Flat Rock (2) · 12 mi
• East Flat Rock (2) · 13 mi
• Hendersonville (27) · 15 mi
• Inman, SC (5) · 15 mi
• Rutherfordton (1) · 16 mi

New to community health centers?

• How the sliding-fee scale works — and how to qualify
• What to bring to your first visit
• Getting care with no insurance

Columbus at a Glance

Every clinic listed above is a federally funded community health center — it treats you with or without insurance, regardless of immigration status, and charges on a sliding-fee scale based on income. Here's what the HRSA and federal NPI registry data shows for Columbus specifically:

• 1,214 patients living in ZIP code 28722 were seen at federally funded health centers in 2025; 20% of them had no insurance.
• 1 of 4 is a school-based site — these usually see enrolled students first, so call before going if you're not a student.
• 1 of 4 is open only part of the year.
• 4 of 4 clinics list a direct phone number you can call ahead.
• 0 of 4 clinics list a website.
• Reported weekly hours: 1 clinic reports 40+ hrs/week, 1 report 20–39 hrs/week, 2 report under 20 hrs/week.
• Provider types on file with the federal NPI registry for clinics in Columbus: Clinic/Center, Dental (1). Confirmed only where the registry record's name matches the clinic with high confidence — call to verify what a specific site offers.