Friendship

What Friendship does

Friendship Medical Clinic & Pharmacy is a 501(c)(3) free medical clinic in Conway, South Carolina, recognized as the oldest free medical clinic in South Carolina. Founded in 1965 by a group of Myrtle Beach High School students as the Community Service Council (later renamed Community Of Volunteer Services, then 'The Friendship House' in 1980, and finally 'Friendship Medical Clinic & Pharmacy' in 2001), the clinic provides free primary medical care, chronic disease management programs for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, depression, and obesity, cancer screening, vision exams and glasses, limited dental care, gynecology services, and immunizations to low-income, uninsured adults aged 18-65 in Horry County who are at or below 200% of Federal Poverty Guidelines and have no access to insurance, Medicaid, or Medicare. Services are delivered by a network of volunteer physicians spanning OB/Gyn, Internal Medicine, Orthopedic, Surgery, Oncology, and Allergy/Immunology, supported by 2 full-time paid staff, 5 part-time employees, and 48 volunteers.

The clinic's core technical and operational differentiator is its state-licensed on-site pharmacy, established in 1997 by volunteer pharmacist Patty Gresko, which operates a Patient Assistance Program (PAP) enabling the clinic to obtain medications for low-income patients. In 2014 the pharmacy dispensed over 8,000 prescriptions with a retail value of $1,643,307, and the total monetary value of in-kind services obtained for patients that year reached $1,918,343. Operations are managed by an executive director and Board Chair Virginia Biddle, with Treasurer Clark Parker (CPA) and Secretary Dawn Rider overseeing financials, and physician Reginald Daves, MD serving as volunteer Medical Director.

Friendship Medical Clinic does not generate revenue from services; the economic model is donation- and grant-funded. Operating revenue comes from foundation grants (notably a $150,000 three-year grant from The Duke Endowment Foundation in 2001 and continual support from United Way of Horry County, a partner since 1974), individual donations from community members, churches, and businesses (accepted via PayPal or mail under the IRS 501(c)(3) tax-deductible status), and substantial in-kind contributions in the form of volunteer professional services and donated medications. The clinic maintains a single physical site at 1396 Highway 544, Conway, SC 29526, operating Monday-Thursday from 8:30am to 4:00pm, and partners operationally with Conway Medical Center and the Conway Medical Center Foundation for hospital service costs, rent, utilities, and medical supplies.

Name

Friendship

Legal name

Friendship Medical Clinic, Inc.

Website

https://friendshipmedicalclinic.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Friendship Medical Clinic & Pharmacy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit free clinic in Conway, South Carolina, providing primary care, chronic disease management, on-site pharmacy services, and preventive care to uninsured adults in Horry County at or below 200% of Federal Poverty Guidelines.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Health Clinic Services

NAICS

Offices of Physicians (62111), Pharmacies and Drug Retailers (456110)

SIC

Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011), Retail-Drug Stores And Proprietary Stores (5912)

akta.pro primary industry

Retail & Community Pharmacies (Chain/Independent) (HLAFALAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Medication Education, Counseling & Side-Effect Monitoring (HSABALAJ)

Keywords

• Free medical clinic
• Community health services
• Chronic disease management
• Patient assistance pharmacy
• Uninsured adult care

Headquarters

HQ city

Conway

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants: The Duke Endowment Foundation provided a $150,000 three-year grant secured through Conway Medical Center Foundation efforts. Grants form a significant portion of operating funding.
2. Donations: Individual donations from community members, families, churches, and businesses. Donations can be made online via PayPal or by mail. IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit status allows donors to claim tax deductions.
3. United Way Funding: United Way of Horry County has partnered since 1974 and provides continual financial support. Friendship Medical Clinic is a United Way partner agency.
4. In-Kind Services: In-kind services and donated medications. The total monetary value of in-kind services obtained for patients in 2014 was $1,918,343.00. Volunteer doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians provide medical services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Friendship Medical Clinic & Pharmacy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit free clinic that provides primary medical care, chronic disease management, cancer and cholesterol screenings, gynecology, vision and limited dental services, immunizations, and prescription medications through its on-site state-licensed pharmacy to low-income, uninsured adults aged 18-65 in Horry County, South Carolina. All services are delivered free of charge to qualifying patients at or below 200% of Federal Poverty Guidelines by volunteer physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians.

Product overview

Friendship Medical Clinic & Pharmacy operates as a single, unified healthcare facility providing comprehensive primary medical care and pharmacy services to qualifying uninsured adults in Horry County, South Carolina. The clinic offers primary medical care, chronic disease management programs (diabetes, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, depression, obesity), screening services (cancer, cholesterol, diabetes), gynecology, vision exams with glasses, limited dental care, immunizations including flu shots, and prescription medications through its on-site state-licensed pharmacy with a Patient Assistance Program. All medical services are delivered by volunteer physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Primary Medical Care
• Chronic Disease Management Programs
• Cancer and Preventive Screening Services
• On-site State-Licensed Pharmacy
• Vision and Dental Care
• Immunization Services
• Gynecology Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 94.2% of total expenses devoted to program services (2007)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• United Way of Horry CountycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1974Friendship Medical Clinic has been a United Way of Horry County Partner since 1974. The continual financial support from United Way has allowed the clinic to serve the community for over 50 years. The clinic also partners with other United Way agencies to improve the community.
• Conway Medical Center and Conway Medical Center FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConway Medical Center and Conway Medical Center Foundation partner with Friendship Medical Clinic to assist with costs of hospital services, rent, utilities, and medical supplies. Conway Medical Center Foundation also supports preventive health screenings for patients and helped secure the Duke Endowment grant.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Rx Outreach: National nonprofit mail-order pharmacy providing affordable medications to uninsured and underinsured individuals. Comparable to Friendship's pharmacy-plus-eligibility-verification model for low-income, uninsured adults, though delivered via mail rather than on-site.
• Americares: Global health organization that donates medicines, medical supplies, and programmatic support to free clinics and charitable pharmacies serving low-income, uninsured patients. Comparable in supporting the in-kind medication supply chain that powers Friendship's pharmacy operations.
• Direct Relief: Humanitarian aid organization that donates pharmaceuticals and medical supplies to safety-net clinics and free clinics like Friendship. Comparable as a key upstream supplier/enabler of the donated-medication pipeline that underpins Friendship's pharmacy.
• National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics: Industry association representing the network of free and charitable clinics across the U.S. Friendship is a representative member of this constituency; the association provides shared advocacy, resources, and funding-channel access relevant to the same operating model.

Direct peers

• Dispensary of Hope: National charitable pharmacy that sources and dispenses free prescription medications to low-income, uninsured patients through a clinic and safety-net partner network. Directly comparable to Friendship's on-site Patient Assistance Program pharmacy mission and patient population.
• Volunteers in Medicine America: National network of volunteer-driven free medical clinics serving uninsured, low-income adults. Highly comparable operating model (volunteer physicians, donated services, eligibility-based access) to Friendship Medical Clinic, though operating at network scale across multiple states.
• Good Pill Pharmacy: Charitable mail-order pharmacy providing free prescription medications to uninsured, low-income patients. Closely parallels Friendship's state-licensed pharmacy with Patient Assistance Program in serving the same uninsured-low-income patient cohort.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/www.friendshipmedicalclinic.org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/friendship-medical-clinic-inc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Friendship