Our Journey of Improving Healthcare Access
Since our founding, Rock River Community Clinic has been dedicated to providing accessible, compassionate healthcare to everyone in our community.
2003
Rock River Free Clinic (RRFC) opens, providing medical care out of the Jefferson County Health Department to uninsured, low-income patients they would have on area children & families. Local donations, private grants, and public support were all critical to their patient care and overall success.
2007
Community Dental Clinic (CDC) opens, providing dental care to Medicaid and uninsured, low-income patients. Local dentists, and hygienists all volunteered their time to support the growing Medicaid population of Jefferson County, working together with Fort HealthCare to support families oral health. Barbara Morrison Gudgeon, Director, and Dr. Brian Turley, DDS, Dental Director, started and led the non-profit for over 10 years.
As Medicaid reimbursement remained stagnant, the CDC became the only general Medicaid dental provider in Jefferson County.
2008
Watertown Area Cares Clinic (WACC) opens, providing medical and behavioral health services to uninsured, low-income patients out of the 8th Street YMCA (old high school).
2018
Rock River Health Care Network is formed to address challenges in access to health care for low-income community members and work towards sustainable, efficient, health equity strategies
2019
The RRFC, CDC, and WACC’s Board of Directors agree to merge and consolidate resources under a joint entity called Rock River Community Clinic to consolidate resources and begin the process of applying to become a Federally Qualified Community Health Center (FQHC) under the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
2020
RRCC-Whitewater, located in a Medically Underserved Area, opens on January 1st, setting the foundation to become an FQHC. The Whitewater location, shared with Fort HealthCare's Whitewater clinic, further expands on Fort HealthCare and RRCC's partnership, and begins the medical clinic's use of Cerner, an electronic medical record, thanks to a HRSA Network Grant received by Fort HealthCare.
2022
With a successful application and site visit, RRCC is awarded FQHC designation by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) under the Look Alike (LAL) designation. RRCC is one of two LALs in Wisconsin and the only rural LAL. FQHC-LALs meet the annual requirements of HRSA for health centers but do not receive federal funds to support clinic operations. While we wait for federal funds to become allocated to HRSA and RRCC, the FQHC-LAL begins an important next step towards sustainability with higher reimbursement from Medicare and Medicaid, access the Vaccines for Children Program, and loan forgiveness for providers.
2025
RRCC's Capital Expansion Campaign begins as the Watertown YMCA location prepares for demolition, and the Fort Atkinson Dental Office location prepares for sale. The need to move opens an opportunity to consolidate, integrate, and centralize clinic services with an eye on sustainability.
2026
RRCC's first integrated clinic opens in Johnson Creek, centralizing patient care and streamlining clinic operations. The number of dental exam rooms increases from 6 to 9, allowing RRCC to see more patients and serve as a residency site for D4 Marquette Dental Students, and Dental Hygiene Students from Madison Area Technical College! With medical, behavioral health, and dental care wings, RRCC's pillars of care become cemented and ready for efficient growth and collaboration.
