Sponsored by ExxonMobil Baton Rouge
In Baton Rouge, a free clinic can mean more than a checkup. For people who have gone without dental services, need help managing a chronic condition or cannot afford prescription glasses, it can be a chance to receive much-needed care in one place, on the same day.
That is the work of Love Impact Coalition, a nonprofit organization that helps close the gap when essential health services are beyond reach for many individuals and families. The organization welcomes everyone, regardless of insurance status or ability to pay, ensuring vital resources remain accessible to those who need them the most.
“We really want to remove all the barriers,” says Nicole Thomas, the organization’s leader and a Doctor of Nursing Practice with 21 years of experience in nursing, including 15 years in community health. 
Love Impact’s clinics offer medical, dental and vision services, with a pharmacy available on site when funding allows. Dental care can include cleanings, fillings and extractions; vision services include eye exams and prescription glasses. Patients register and receive medical clearance before care. If a patient’s health needs attention before a procedure can safely go ahead, clinicians can assess and treat them at the clinic, Thomas says.
In Baton Rouge, Thomas has witnessed the need grow. She says about 20 percent of clinic patients are working people who have insurance but struggle to afford premiums or copays. Demand at the free clinics can exceed capacity, even as the organization works to serve as many people as possible.
The ExxonMobil collaboration has helped Love Impact reach more patients and sustain services. Thomas says the organization began its work in 2018, with ExxonMobil coming on board after she shared candid feedback at a community focus group. ExxonMobil followed up, learned more about the clinics and began providing financial support.
The relationship has grown beyond funding. ExxonMobil employees have volunteered at clinics, and the company has introduced Love Impact to other industry partners, helping extend the model to additional communities.
With ExxonMobil’s support, Love Impact has been able to serve as many as 650 patients in a day. The partnership has also helped restore services that the organization previously could not afford to offer. “We were able to bring the on-site pharmacy back in this last clinic because of ExxonMobil’s support,” Thomas says.
At one clinic, an equipment compressor that is essential to running the dental department failed early in the morning. An ExxonMobil employee who had come to volunteer went out, found a replacement and helped connect it so dental services could proceed. For Thomas, that response reflects the people behind the collaboration.
The organization’s next priorities include expanding its dental offerings to address more complex needs, including root canals, and increasing patient capacity by at least 20 percent.
For Thomas, expanding those services is about responding to the growing health needs of the Baton Rouge community and helping patients receive care that might otherwise be out of reach.
“One of our biggest future priorities is expansion of the type of services,” she says. “What we’re seeing now is that the needs are so great and so extensive that sometimes it’s more than just the extraction that they need. We would like to expand to doing things such as root canals, because it really does matter in terms of their overall health.”
The next clinic is scheduled for May 1, 2027, at Mount Carmel Baptist Church. As Love Impact works to expand its services and reach more patients, its commitment remains focused on helping people access the care they need, regardless of their ability to pay.
