About

Over twenty years ago, two Jefferson County School Nurses found that many of the students they cared for had no health insurance and no access to health care. They submitted a proposal to the City of Arvada and collaborated with various community entities to create a unique clinic to serve children without health insurance. Carin' (short for caring) Clinic first opened in September 1993 and became a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt clinic in 1997. For the first 16 years, the clinic was given free space at Arvada Middle School. Due to budget constraints, in early 2010 Jefferson County School District decided that they needed the space that Carin' Clinic had been using. The clinic temporarily closed during the summer of 2010 while locating a new site. Fortuitously, Jefferson County Head Start was interested in buying the closed Russell Elementary and wanted a clinic on site. In August 2010, the Carin' Clinic reopened in a double trailer behind the new Jefferson County Head Start. In 2013, Jefferson County Human Services gave ownership of the trailer to the clinic and the clinic now leases the underlying property from Jefferson County. Carin' Clinic provides “whole person” primary health care. Physical primary health care includes treatment for minor acute illness, management of chronic illness, well-child physicals, immunizations, prescriptions (including vouchers), and referrals to other sources of medical care when needed. The clinic has on-site dental care from MCPN's (Metro Community Provider Network) dental van, and free mental health care on-site.