Monen Healthcare Clinic Earns National Gold Rating

AN HONOR REFLECTING OUTSTANDING PATIENT CARE

On any given day inside the Monen Healthcare Clinic, neighbors walk through the doors carrying medical concerns and their stories of struggle and hope. At Heart Ministry Center, we believe healthcare is more than lab results and prescriptions; it is about listening, healing, and restoring dignity.

This deep commitment to patient care was recently recognized with a Gold Rating from the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NAFC), the highest standard of excellence for community health clinics. This honor is a powerful affirmation for the families we serve that the compassionate, high-quality care offered here changes lives.

The Team Behind the Excellence

At the heart of the healthcare team’s daily work are full-time providers and support staff whose outstanding care anchors the Monen Healthcare Clinic. Among our healthcare team are providers: Dave Levy, MD; Taylor Huff, DNP; Joe Van Trimmell, LIMHP; and Brian Brown, LADC. Together with Conor Berigan, Healthcare Director; Daniel Alaniz, Community Healthcare Navigator; Yasmin Moreno, Medical Assistant; Angie Solis, Healthcare Coordinator; and Simon Fletcher, Dental Assistant, they form a core team. Their impact goes far beyond the clinic’s walls, thanks to the extraordinary generosity of volunteer healthcare providers from throughout the city. Volunteer healthcare professionals extend Monen Healthcare’s capacity across all disciplines—medical, dental, vision, mental health, and physical and occupational therapy services.

A Network of Volunteer Providers

The Monen Healthcare Clinic thrives on collaboration. Partners from Creighton University and the University of Nebraska Medical Center provide clinical expertise, while many volunteer professionals fill essential care gaps. One such partner, Dr. Matranga, a professor of dentistry at Creighton University School of Dentistry, treats patients and brings his students to the Center for hands-on community dental care. In his words: “We’re giving people their smiles back.” For patients who have lived too long with untreated dental pain, these smiles represent more than improved health; they are a return of confidence and hope.

Such generosity is the backbone of Monen Healthcare, allowing us to reach hundreds more patients than our staff alone can manage. As demand grows, and our dental clinic waitlist stretches into the hundreds, these volunteer providers make the transformational difference.

Why the Gold Rating Matters

The NAFHC Gold Rating is awarded only to clinics that uphold the highest accountability, quality, and patient-centered care benchmarks. This recognition validates the systems and practices already in place. Healthcare Director Conor Berigan reflects: “Earning the Gold Rating gives me peace of mind and pride, knowing we now have a tested blueprint that allows us to maintain excellence in every aspect of care delivery.”

From interprofessional care team meetings that align treatment plans across specialties to patient surveys that shape improvements, the Monen Healthcare Clinic meets gold rating standards to ensure the best care for our community members.

Looking Forward

The Gold Rating is not the finish line—it is a foundation to build. With demand for services steadily rising, the Monen Healthcare Clinic has a tested framework and an inspired team ready to meet the challenge.

As Amy Holmes, Chief Operating Officer reminds us, “Our team doesn’t need external motivators. They’re here for one reason: to see lives transformed. This honor affirms the excellence that already thrives in our mission and inspires us to keep building a brighter, healthier future.”

At Heart Ministry Center, our mission is threefold: food, healthcare, and a way forward. Guided by our core values of community, compassion, accountability, and excellence, the Monen Healthcare Clinic reflects what is possible when our team, volunteer providers, and neighbors unite with one purpose: dignity for all.