Years Community Health
Community Health Center of Fort Dodge celebrates 20 years and reflects on the journey that led to today’s organization.
By BILL SHEA bshea@messengernews.net
When a free clinic was offered in a Fort Dodge church in the late 1990s, people waited in line for hours for their chance to see the doctor.
It was a clear sign that there was a sizeable population in Fort Dodge that faced barriers to accessing heath care services.
Seeing that line of people told local health care leaders that something else was needed.
The Community Health Center of Fort Dodge was created to be that new element in the local medical offerings that could help those who needed more accessible and affordable heath care options.
As a federally qualified health center, they are able to provide care to everyone regardless of their insurance status. Community Health Center accepts Medicare, Medicaid, most major insurance plans, and offers a sliding fee scale to those who qualify based on income and household size.
It opened 20 years ago this month with a small staff that saw 15 patients on the first day.
Today, the center has six locations in the region with 143 employees who care for 18,000 patients a year.
“I love what Community Health Center does for the community.” said Renae Kruckenberg, the center’s chief executive officer.
“It’s concerning to me that people go without care because they don’t have coverage.” she said.
Providing high quality care to those who don’t have insurance is a key part of the health center’s mission. But its services aren’t limited to those individuals.
“We are open to all and here to ensure everyone can receive quality care.” Kruckenberg said.
Today’s Community Health Center emerged from two initiatives.
The free clinics were one of them. The clinics were first offered at Calvary Memorial Church of God in Christ and later at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church.
The second initiative started in June 2003, when Randy Kuhlman, who was a at that time the leader of the Community Action Network at Trinity Regional Hospital (today’s UnityPoint Health - Trinity Regional Medical Center), attended a conference in Nashville, Tennessee, and learned about a grant program for setting up community health centers. The hospital’s leadership decided to pursue a grant.
In July 2003, former U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin led a town hall meeting in Fort Dodge on the need to establish a community health center.
Kuhlman and the Rev. Steve Hall, who was pastor of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church at the time, led the committee that submitted a 73-page grant application to the federal government for funding a community health center.
The application was submitted in June 2004.
In April 2005, a $650,000 federal grant was awarded. The grant consisted of $150,000 for the cost of developing the clinic’s location and $500,000 for the first year of operations.
In October 2005, the board of directors for the new community health center met for the first time.
The next month, that board hired Kathy Wilkes as the first chief executive officer of the center.
Kuhlman led an implementation committee that worked successfully to get the community health center open by the April 2006 deadline specified in the grant award.
The former Schwendemann chiropractic office at 126 N. 10th St. was selected as the site for the clinic.
Additional financial support was received in these forms:
$250,000 in an earmark from Harkin for buying medical equipment
$150,000 from the Catherine Vincent Deardorf Foundation for buying and renovating the building
$100,000 from the Trinity Health Foundation
The center opened on April 17, 2006.
Since then, the center has continually grown.
In 2010, a major renovation closed an alley and combined the clinic building with one that stood across that alley. This enabled the center’s dental program, which was offered at Iowa Central Community College two days a week, to come into the downtown site.
These developments soon followed:
2014 - a site in Dayton opened
2017 - Completion of 10,000-square-foot renovation expanded the Fort Dodge clinic from 11 exam rooms to 21 exam rooms, upgraded from four dental labs to eight and included the addition of behavioral health offices
2018 - a site in Mason City opened
2021 - another expansion created four more dental operatories, four behavioral health rooms, and an X-ray room at the Fort Dodge site
2023 - a site in Eagle Grove opened
2024 - a site in Clarion opened, and a pharmacy opened in Fort Dodge
2025 - a site in Spencer opened
With the exception of the Dayton location, all of the sites offer medical, dental and behavioral health care. Only medical care is available in Dayton.
Additionally, comprehensive eye exams have been available at the Fort Dodge site for a little more than a year. Those exams became available at the Mason City location in December 2025.
SERVICES KEY STAFF
Medical
Dental
We provide general primary care services at all of our locations including acute care, chronic care, and preventative care. We offer everything from labs and vaccines to cancer screenings and x-ray.
We provide a full line of dental services in Fort Dodge, Eagle Grove, Clarion, Mason City, and Spencer. This includes routine care, procedures, and specialty such as dentures.
Behavioral Health
Behavioral health services are available in Fort Dodge, Eagle Grove, Clarion, Mason City and Spencer and include evaluation and treatment, medication management, and therapy.
Optometry
Pharmacy
We offer comprehensive eye examinations in both Fort Dodge and Mason City. This includes eye health screenings and disease detection as well as ongoing vision care and follow-up.
Our Fort Dodge pharmacy is conveniently available to Community Health Center patients. As a 340B pharmacy, we participate in a federal program that helps us expand access to medications for our patients. Patients also benefit from convenient prescription fills and refills, with options for text message reminders and auto-refill services.
Financial Advocate
Our trained Certified Application Counselors are here to help you review your health insurance options, including Marketplace, and find coverage that fits your needs. Insurance enrollment services are free and available to both Community Health Center patients and the public. Our Financial Advocates can assist with Medicare Open Enrollment, including Medicare Part D plan selection and Medicaid applications.
In addition, our Financial Advocate can help determine eligibility for our sliding fee scale and assist with setting up payment plans for healthcare services. Our Fort Dodge Financial Advocate is also a SHIIP certified counselor (Senior Health Insurance Information Program).
Social Work
Our social workers empower patients to live their best lives by connecting people to community resources. We help people of all ages and backgrounds improve their quality of life by assisting patients to access programs available within their community. Examples include but are not limited to food, housing, support groups, and transportation.
Renae Kruckenberg, CEO
Mitchell Stewart, CFO Colleen Miller, COO
Dr. Elizabeth Stoebe, CMO
1998
HealthPartners initiative funded by Community Action Network began providing wellness screens at Calvary Memorial Church
2004
June 2004 – Grant to become a Federally Qualified Health Center was submitted
September 2004 – Learned that the grant was not received, Community Action Network continued to support the free clinic and assistance was sought from the Iowa Nebraska Primary Care Association with improving upon the original grant and resubmitting it.
December 2004 – Grant was resubmitted for funding to become a Federally Qualified Health Center.
April 2005 – Notified that Fort Dodge would receive funding for a Federally Qualified Health Center. An Implementation Planning Committee was formed to work through the program requirements and secure a permanent location.
2009 2010
The first renovation of the Fort Dodge location to close the alley between the current two buildings occurred.
Dental services were brought into the Fort Dodge clinic full time. (previously dental services were being provided through a partnership with Iowa Central Community College)
1999
Dr. Lori Whitis with HealthPartners approached Community Action Network with the idea of starting a free clinic. A free clinic steering committee was formed and a St. Mark’s Episcopal church was added as a second site. Volunteer physicians and nurses with Trinity Regional Medical Center provided services.
2002 – Due to the growth of the free clinic the Community Action Network provided funding for a paid coordinator.
2003
June 2003 – Randy Kuhlman became aware of the New Access Point grant administered by the Bureau of Primary Health Care under section 330 of the Public Health Service Act. It was decided that the community should pursue this grant in partnership with the Fort Dodge Free Clinic.
July 2003 –Senator Harkin requested a town hall hosted by Community Action Network to talk about the need for a Community Health Center in Fort Dodge. Progress on applying for the grant continued.
2006
2006 – On Monday, April 17, Community Health Center of Fort Dodge, Inc. opened in the former Schwendemann Chiropractic Clinic building and saw 15 patients and collected $90 using a sliding fee scale.
July 2014 - Services were expanded with the opening of a medical clinic in Dayton, IA
2017 2016
October 2018 – Services were expanded again with the opening of a clinic in Mason City offering medical, dental and behavioral health services
Behavioral health services began in Fort Dodge. 10 year anniversary celebration was held. 2023
July 2023 – Services were expanded into Eagle Grove with the opening of a new clinic location offering medical, dental and behavioral health services. 2024
August 2024 – Services were expanded into Clarion with the opening of a new clinic location offering medical, dental and behavioral health services.
Sept 2024 – On September 6 Fort Dodge’s new in-house pharmacy filled its first prescription.
August 2017 –Completion of 10,000-squarefoot renovation expanded the Fort Dodge clinic from 11 exam rooms to 21 exam rooms, upgraded from four dental labs to eight and included the addition of behavioral health offices. A ribbon cutting to mark this occasion.
October 2022 – Completion of a 3rd renovation at the Fort Dodge clinic which added four more dental operatories (making a total of 12) and additional behavioral health offices. A ribbon cutting and open house were held.
January 2025 – Optometry services began in Fort Dodge.
March 2025 – Fort Dodge expanded hours to be open Monday through Friday 7 am – 8 pm.
April 2025 - Services were expanded into Spencer with the opening of a new clinic location offering medical, dental and behavioral health services.
December 2025– Optometry services began in Mason City.
Community Health Center of Fort Dodge to celebrate 20 years during annual fundraiser
The Community Health Center of Fort Dodge announced that its annual fundraising event will be held on Saturday, April 11, beginning at 5:30 p.m. at The Laramar Ballroom in Fort Dodge.
This year’s event is especially meaningful as the organization celebrates 20 years of service to the community.
Guests will enjoy dinner, live and silent/online auctions, and musical entertainment by Scott Kirkhart. The evening will bring together supporters, partners, and community members for a memorable celebration benefiting an important cause.
Over the past two decades, Community Health Center has experienced significant growth expanding from serving 3,000 patients in 2008 to caring for almost 18,000 patients this past year. It now also serves patients at locations in Dayton, Mason City, Eagle Grove, Clarion, and most recently, Spencer. In 2025 alone, it provided care through almost 60,000 patient visits, delivering comprehensive medical, dental, behavioral health, vision, and pharmacy services as a Federally Qualified Health Center.
This year’s fundraiser will support expanding access to breast cancer screening for underserved women. Bringing mammograms on-site will reduce transportation barriers, allow more timely screenings and support early detection. Expanding access for all patients including those eligible for their sliding fee scale.
Tickets for the event are available online (chcfd.com), at Community Health Center of Fort Dodge, and through Community Health Center employees. Raffle tickets are also available to support the cause.
The online auction will open at 8 a.m. April 4 and remain active until 9 p.m. on the night of the event.
All contributions will help the Community Health Center continue its mission of partnering with you by providing through, patient-focused healthcare and supporting you on your journey to well-being.
