01/1972

National Free Clinic Council Conference in Washington, D.C.

In the “Whole Earth Catalog”, Mark read about a January 1972 gathering in Washington, D.C. for people interested in forming a free clinic. Based on the survey of low-income neighborhoods in Middletown and inspired by his experiences at the conference, Mark set out to start a free clinic in Middletown.

Many Wesleyan students played key roles in the early years of CHC: Ruth Guttmann, Ann Nugent, Marcie Rein, Joe Haddad, Steve Weissman, and Rebecca Ramsey, to name a few.

05/1972

Community Health Center, Inc. Established.

In May 1972, papers were drawn up and filed to incorporate Community Health Center. The first headquarters was in an old apartment building on College Street in Middletown where two bedrooms were turned into medical offices. The kitchen became a dental clinic, with equipment donated from a group that gave supplies to missionaries in Africa.

The clinic was staffed by five local dentists who donated their time. No local physicians were willing to volunteer, but a friend of a board member came once a month from Montefiore Medical Center in New York City where he was finishing his residency.

06/1973

CHC Told to Cease and Desist

Shortly after the clinic opened, a complaint signed by 30 local doctors led to a state inspection, during which officials said the hallways were too narrow by one inch. They issued a cease and desist order, essentially putting CHC out of business. CHC sought a new location that would have broad hallways. The building on College Street has subsequently been torn down as part of a redevelopment project.

10/1973

Masselli Gains Access to 635 Main Street

Masselli, pharmacist Gerald Weitzman, and community activist Reba Moses found a landlord in the North End of Middletown who agreed to rent out the first floor of their property.  Mark camped out outside 635 Main Street for three consecutive nights, sleeping on the sidewalk with a sleeping bag and pillow, in a desperate attempt to meet the erstwhile tenant of the run-down storefront space, who had been eluding Mark and the building’s landlord for weeks.

Finally, on the third night, the tenant appeared. Mark confronted him, saying, “This is my building now, and I have a lease for it,” even though Mark had not yet signed the lease. The ruse worked, and the tenant, no doubt spooked by this strange midnight encounter, handed over the keys to Mark.

1976

CHC Receives Maternal and Child Health Programs Grant

CHC was recognized by the Connecticut State Health Department as a Child and Youth Center and received federally financed funding. Supported by this funding, CHC hired Yale School of Medicine-trained pediatrician Dr. Steven Bittner.

07/1976

Masselli, Vinikas, and Hickenlooper Purchase 635 Main St.

By 1976, 635 Main Street had expanded to include treatment space, offices, and even an apartment for the occasional homeless patient to crash in. When the opportunity presented itself to buy the building, Masselli, Matt Vinikas, and John Hickenlooper scraped together $10,000 for a down payment on the $40,000 purchase price. Of the three, Masselli had no money of his own: his part of the down payment was paid by credit card.

05/1979

CHC signs a contract with the Farm Workers Union

In May 1979, CHC signed a contract with the New England Farm Workers Council for the health center to provide medical care for migrant and seasonal farmworkers. The program was supported by the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare and the U.S. Department of Labor. Over the years, CHC has continued to grow its services to farmworkers and rural communities.

06/1979

CHC receives a grant from Levi-Strauss

CHC received a $10,000 grant from the Levi-Strauss Foundation, based in San Francisco, to support the publication of SANENews, a national newsletter about domestic violence. The newsletter was published six times a year and distributed to 20,000 people. SANENews was a precursor to CHC’s national reach through email newsletters as well as through peer-reviewed publications.

1979

Consumer control fundamental to health center operations

The majority of the health center’s Board have been health center patients, so their leadership reflects the interests, issues and concerns of the people in the counties, cities, towns and communities they represent.

1979

CHC Invited to Clinton, Old Saybrook, and Deep River

In 1979, Mark received a phone call from Monica Eggert, director of the Estuary Council of Seniors about providing dental services to seniors in Clinton, Old Saybrook, and Deep River. Monica said, “I don’t know if you understand this, son, but elderly people in America cannot get access to dental services because Medicare forgot to include it as a service. We hear great things about you now, so you need to come on down here and open up a new office in Old Saybrook.”