Over the years, I’ve written many stories about Community Care Clinic, but 2015 marked the first time I was a client.

Being self-employed, I buy my insurance through the marketplace. The first year of enrollment, no problem. This past year, because of miscommunications between the marketplace and my insurance company, there were multiple discrepancies between what I owed and how much was being debited by my account. Multiple phone calls to the insurance company ensued. I made payments. I received credits. I didn’t make payments because of the credits.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

By the time I got everything untangled and figured out how much I actually owed, my insurance company canceled my policy. I was eventually reinstated, but during the interim, my account was on hold. I take only two prescriptions, and I ran out of one. Like many prescriptions, it’s one you just can’t stop taking.

That’s when I called Krista Woolly.

Krista, a good friend, is director of the Community Care Clinic. The clinic provides medical, dental and prescription assistance to adults in Rowan County who are uninsured or underinsured.

Was there something she could do to help me?

“We can do a one-time, prescription refill per year,” she told me. For anyone.

Wow, what a relief, I thought. My doctor’s office kindly called in the prescription to the pharmacist, Julianna Parrish. (Julianna has since left to open her own pharmacy, a longtime dream, and I wish her the best.)

Julianna quickly and efficiently refilled the prescription, and advised me when it would be ready for pick-up.

When I went to pick it up, there was no charge.

That just completely blew me away.

As I said, I was lucky. My insurance was reinstated, and I’m now enrolled for 2016 coverage.

But what about all those folks who are going into 2016 without insurance?

That’s where the Community Care Clinic comes in.

As I discovered when I became a client, the staff there is top-notch. It’s just like going into any other doctor’s office. From the front desk to the medical staff to the pharmacy staff, everyone is warm, friendly, welcoming, and knowledgeable.

I grew up in a middle-class household, and I am ashamed to say that I developed somewhat of an us-them mentality when it comes to people in poverty. This in no way has anything to do with my parents. They’ve always treated everyone equally and with respect.

To me, it seems like the line between being in the middle class and being in poverty is much thinner than it was growing up. Given the current economic climate, if you lose a job, experience a catastrophic illness, or make a few poor choices, the amount of time it takes to lose everything increases exponentially — sometimes instantly.

Krista and her staff have seen it happen over and over.

They’ve had success in enrolling clients in Affordable Health Care, some of whom have never before had insurance. But what Krista has discovered is that there are still people falling through the cracks. There are still people who need them. They are in no danger of going out of business anytime soon.

So why am I telling you this?

In 2016, as you look around for non-profit agencies to support, for places to volunteer, and for places to seek help, I’d encourage you to learn about the Community Care Clinic if you don’t know much about it.

They’re the best.

I should know. I was one of their clients.

Freelance writer Susan Shinn lives in Salisbury.