Our Story
The Knox County Health Clinic was founded in June of 1999 by Dr. Paul and Jeannie Klainer with significant community support to provide primary medical care to the working people of Knox County, Maine who could not afford their own health insurance and did not qualify for Medicaid, Medicare or other programs. A Dental Program was added in April of 2001 to serve patients both without insurance and those on Medicaid. In 2003, the Clinic began assisting patients in obtaining free medications through a Prescription Assistance Program (PAP). In 2008, the Clinic expanded its services to include mental health and wellness services.
For more than 26 years, the Knox Clinic has been part of the fabric of Midcoast Maine, a place where neighbors look out for one another and where everyone deserves the chance to live a healthy, supported life. We began with a simple belief: no one should be denied care because they can’t afford it.
In our earliest days, the Clinic operated just one evening a week, powered entirely by volunteer clinicians who showed up after long workdays to make sure their neighbors had somewhere to turn. That spirit of community, people caring for people, has always been our foundation.
As the years went on, the need for accessible healthcare only grew. Families were still struggling to find providers, appointments, and affordable options. We heard it from our patients, our partners, and our community: people needed more. So we made a commitment to grow alongside that need.
Today, the Knox Clinic is transforming into a full‑time Community Health Center, one that offers consistent, compassionate care to anyone who walks through our doors. In 2025 alone, more than 700 new patients joined our practice, many reconnecting with healthcare for the first time in years. We expanded our team with a full‑time Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and Family Nurse Practitioner, extended our hours, and began accepting all major insurance plans while still offering a sliding fee scale for those without coverage.
We also know that healthcare is more than appointments. It’s navigating insurance, understanding referrals, and feeling supported every step of the way. That’s why our Access Navigator is here to help patients enroll in benefits, coordinate care, and make sense of a complicated system, removing barriers so people can focus on their health, not paperwork.
A major milestone in our journey came at the end of 2024, when we purchased the Bok Building, the place we’ve called home for more than two decades. Owning our building means stability, growth, and the ability to invest in the future of community health. It means we’re here to stay.
Now, we’re preparing for the next chapter. Renovations will modernize the building, create a flexible community space, and, most exciting of all, bring dental care under the same roof as our medical, mental health, and navigation services. For the first time, the Knox Clinic will be able to offer truly integrated care in one welcoming, trusted place.
Our story is still unfolding, but the heart of it remains unchanged: we are here for our community. We are here for the families who need a provider, the parents seeking support, the neighbors who have gone too long without care, and everyone who believes that health is a shared responsibility.
This is who we’ve always been, and who we’re becoming together. CLICK HERE to continue making a difference and support our mission.
