in 2007, a group of Branson area residents and medical professionals who were concerned about the thousands of families in Stone and Taney counties unable to afford basic healthcare needs formed a healthcare catalyst group. The catalyst group began to dream and explore how to create a faith-based health center providing multiple healthcare services “sharing God’s love through whole-person care.”
After getting inspiration for an effective model from the widely acclaimed Memphis Church Health Center, the group chartered a bus for a tour of the Memphis organization in 2008, becoming the largest tour group ever to visit Church Health.
Committing to this model, they developed local partnerships with Skaggs Regional Medical Center and the Ozark Mountain Family YMCA, culminating in the 2009 acquisition of the former Branson Elementary school in a quiet residential neighborhood of downtown Branson for just one dollar.
Remodeling of the school cafeteria into a robust clinic with six exam rooms was soon completed, allowing Faith Community Health Center to open its doors to patients on March 20, 2010. Access to prescription medications for FCH patients, a primary mission of the team, was accomplished with the opening of the Medication Room just weeks later in April.
Over the next 10 years, it became clear that the need for affordable pharmacy services were needed throughout the community, and not just for patients of FCH. In 2020, the FCH med-room provided over 27,000, 30-day prescriptions to patients through partnerships with Dispensary of Hope, Direct Relief, Americares, Cox Medical Center Branson, and medication manufacturer's patient assistance programs. Currently, patients pay only a $10 monthly administration fee to utilize the med-office. In the last 3 years alone, the med-room has seen the need and demand for prescription medications to manage chronic and acute conditions increase by nearly 50%.
Through collaboration with area Representatives and the Missouri Board of Pharmacy, legislation establishing guidelines for Class Q: Charitable Pharmacy was passed in 2021. This allowed Dr. Heather Lyons-Burney, a founding member of FCH, a new staff pharmacist Dr. Henry Irvin, and many others to begin the long process of developing a pharmacy to serve the uninsured in Stone and Taney County. The mission of opening the first Charitable Pharmacy in the state of Missouri was achieved when My Neighbor's Charitable Pharmacy was opened in early 2023
