How to get health and dental care in Mobile County without insurance or with little money
In Mobile County, the health department itself is one of the largest sources of medical care for people without insurance. Its Family Health division operates about a dozen clinics that charge based on income, from downtown Mobile out to Citronelle and Tillman's Corner. Franklin Primary Health Center, which opened in Mobile in 1975, runs the county's other large network of health centers.
Two more local programs are unusual for Alabama. Victory Health Partners is a charity medical practice that treats only adults with no health insurance. Ozanam Charitable Pharmacy is the state's one licensed charitable pharmacy, and it fills prescriptions at no cost. This guide explains who qualifies for each program, with direct phone numbers and websites, and covers dental and mental health care in the county as well.
Community health centers from downtown Mobile to Bayou La Batre
Franklin Primary Health Center is one of Alabama's largest community health centers, and it started in Mobile. The main campus is the Franklin Medical Mall at 1303 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue in Mobile. Call 251-432-4117. The website at https://franklinprimary.org/ lists every current office, including sites in Prichard, west Mobile, and other parts of the county.
- Franklin treats patients regardless of their ability to pay, with a sliding fee scale based on income. Services include adult medicine, pediatrics, OB/GYN care, dentistry, eye care, a pharmacy, x-rays, and help for people who are homeless. A mobile medical and dental unit also travels to neighborhoods around the county.
Family Health is the primary care network run by the Mobile County Health Department, and it is unusual in a good way. The health department here does not just give shots. It operates about a dozen federally funded health centers across the county, from the Downtown Health Center at 251 North Bayou Street to offices in Eight Mile, Semmes, Citronelle, Tillman's Corner, and north Mobile County. Call 251-690-8889 for an appointment at any location. Details are at https://mchd.org/.
- Family Health sees adults and children, and no one is refused care over money. The centers provide checkups, women's health and family planning, dental care, immunizations, testing and treatment for infections, WIC nutrition services, and help applying for health coverage. Fees slide with income, and staff ask for a picture ID and proof of income at the first visit.
Two more health centers serve the southern end of the county.
- Mostellar Medical Center treats families at 12701 Padgett Switch Road in Irvington, reached at 251-824-2174, with a sliding fee discount and clerks who help patients get free medications from drug companies. Its website is https://www.mostellarmedical.org/.
- Accordia Health runs a clinic at 13833 Tapia Avenue in Bayou La Batre that combines medical care for children and adults with mental health treatment in one place. Call 251-824-8320 or visit https://accordia-health.org/, and staff can also answer Medicaid and health plan questions.
Charity clinics built for adults with no insurance
Victory Health Partners is a nonprofit medical practice created for one group: adults age 19 to 64 who have no health insurance and do not qualify for Medicaid, Medicare, or VA care. New patients can call 251-445-0038 to check eligibility and set a first appointment. The clinic sits at 3750 Professional Parkway in Mobile, and the website is https://victoryhealth.org.
- Patients pay a modest set fee for each visit based on income, and that fee provides a lot of services. Victory provides ongoing primary care and connects patients to a network of more than 160 volunteer specialists, including heart doctors and surgeons. Mental health counseling is free for patients, most prescriptions cost nothing through its assistance program, and dental and eye care are arranged through partner providers. Income limits apply, so bring proof of income, and all visits are by appointment on weekdays.
The University of South Alabama Student-Run Free Clinic offers free health screenings, wellness checks, and referrals, with health professions students working under licensed supervisors. The clinic operates out of the Salvation Army in downtown Mobile and serves people who have few other options for care. Days and hours change with the school calendar, so call 251-445-9506 or check https://www.southalabama.edu/org/srfc/ before going.
Free prescription medicine in Mobile
Ozanam Charitable Pharmacy is the only licensed charitable pharmacy in Alabama, and it happens to be in Mobile at 2424 Gordon Smith Drive. It fills prescriptions at no cost for uninsured adults from Mobile, Baldwin, Escambia, and Washington counties, focusing on daily medications for conditions like diabetes, heart disease, asthma, and high blood pressure. Call the prescription line at 251-432-4111. The website is https://ozanampharmacy.org/.
Patients qualify based on household income and get certified through one of Ozanam's partner agencies, so start with a phone call to learn the steps. The pharmacy is generally open weekday mornings and early afternoons. People with a Medicare drug plan who hit the coverage gap partway through the year may also get help. The NHPB guide to NeedyMeds and drug company assistance programs explains more ways to get medications for free.
Low cost dental care for kids and adults
Dental services are scarcer than doctors in Mobile County, so it helps to know exactly who offers them. Franklin Primary runs full dental offices at several locations plus its traveling dental unit, all on the same sliding fee scale as its medical care. Family Health has dental clinics at some of its centers, with much of that care aimed at children and teens, so adults should call 251-690-8889 and ask what is open to them. Mostellar Medical Center also provides dental services in Irvington, and Victory arranges dental care for its established patients.
Donated Dental Services matches volunteer dentists with people who cannot afford major dental work. The program serves Alabamians who have a permanent disability, are age 65 or older, or are medically fragile, and there is an application and a waiting list. Apply through https://dentallifeline.org.
Remote Area Medical holds occasional free pop-up clinics around Alabama with dental, vision, and medical care, and no ID or proof of income is required. Upcoming dates are posted at https://www.ramusa.org/schedule/free-healthcare-clinics-in-alabama/.
Mental health care, addiction help, and crisis lines
Anyone in a mental health crisis can call or text 988 at any hour. For ongoing care, AltaPointe Health is the region's behavioral health system, treating children and adults for mental illness and substance use. Call the Access to Care line at 251-450-2211 to get connected, and staff explain payment options during that call. The website is https://altapointe.org.
AltaPointe also runs a Behavioral Health Crisis Center at 2401 Gordon Smith Drive in Mobile. A person in psychiatric crisis can walk in day or night, with or without insurance, instead of waiting in a hospital emergency room. The center includes short-term stabilization and a medically managed withdrawal unit for people starting recovery from alcohol, opioids, or other drugs. Accordia Health in Bayou La Batre, described earlier in this guide, is another option for outpatient mental health care in the south county.
Health insurance coverage options for long term support
In addition to the clinics and community health centers, children have a real path to coverage. ALL Kids is Alabama's low cost health insurance for children under age 19, and one application checks both ALL Kids and Medicaid at any time of year. Call 1-888-373-5437 or apply at https://www.alabamapublichealth.gov/allkids.
Free help with any of these applications is available. Enroll Alabama is the state's federally funded navigator program, and its staff walk people through HealthCare.gov, Medicaid, and ALL Kids applications at no charge. Call 844-248-7698 or visit https://www.enrollala.com. Enrollment workers at Franklin, Family Health, and Accordia offer the same kind of free help in person.
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