- Hours: Mon, Wed, Fri: 9am – 4pm
- Tues, Thurs: 9am – 9pm
- 45580 Woodward Avenue, Pontiac MI, 48341
- Hours: Mon, Wed, Fri: 9am – 4pm
- Tues, Thurs: 9am – 9pm
- 45580 Woodward Avenue, Pontiac MI, 48341
Dr. Gary Burnstein was a humanitarian and an advocate for all of his patients. He felt everyone should be treated with dignity and respect and that the quality of healthcare a person received should not be determined by their ability to pay. In 1997, after working as a cardiologist, Dr. Gary Burnstein began providing care for patients at a homeless shelter in Pontiac, Michigan. Dr. Burnstein passed away in 2003, but friends, family, and community members honored his dream of providing free medical care to the uninsured by establishing the Dr. Gary Burnstein Community Health Clinic (GBCHC).
We work daily to live by the standards set for us by Dr. Burnstein and to live by his values of dignity and respect, trust and integrity, service excellence, person-centered care, community and empowerment through education.
20 years
The Gary Burnstein Community Health Clinic is committed to providing access to healthcare for all who need it by:
To become a:
Today’s team at the Dr. Gary Burnstein Community Health Clinic works daily to live by the standard set for us by Dr. Burnstein, a humanitarian, doctor, and passionate leader in healthcare equity. We work to live by his values every day.
The Dr. Gary Burnstein Community Health Clinic is committed to a diverse, inclusive, equitable, and accessible environment where all patients, volunteers, staff, and board members feel respected and valued regardless of gender, age, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation or identity, disability, education, or any other bias.
In 1997, after working as a cardiologist, Dr. Gary Burnstein began providing care for patients at a homeless shelter in Pontiac, Michigan.
Dr. Burnstein envisions a clinic that serves uninsured adults and organizes a small group of volunteers to incorporate the free clinic under the name of Wolfe-Seiferheld Memorial Clinic. In April 2002, he receives the IRS tax-exempt designation. All services are to be provided by medical and nursing volunteers at no cost to patients. Dr. Burnstein leads by example as our original volunteer, and his model of care continues at the clinic today.
Dr. Burnstein passed away in 2003, but friends, family, and community members honored his dream of providing care to the uninsured by establishing the Dr. Gary Burnstein Community Health Clinic (GBCHC).
Kensington Church raises $500,000 and provides materials and labor to repurpose space in the old Pontiac Rescue Mission on University Dr. in Pontiac, creating the free clinic that Dr. Burnstein imagined. In October the clinic opens its doors to provide expanded healthcare services for the homeless.
Dana assumed the position of the clinic’s, CEO. She volunteered her time. Her children help with the endeavor. Dana said, “We pulled together to support the clinic’s work. It was a labor of love.”
The clinic is officially renamed Gary Burnstein Community Health Clinic (GBCHC). Dr. Kathy Pitus provides medical services for the next four years.
A fire causes the Clinic to relocate temporarily to Grace Gospel Fellowship Church. The Clinic reopens after restoration is completed in December of 2005.
Brian Harris is hired as the first Executive Director. Dana Burnstein continues to be involved in the growth and expansion of the clinic, and Ian Burnstein and Lori Burnstein Taylor join the Board of Directors. The Gary Burnstein Community Health Clinic makes services available to all uninsured residents of Oakland County.
Dana Burnstein asks local businessman and philanthropist Robert S. Peterson for help to secure a building that will offer more clinic space for medical and dental care. With critical support from the Peterson Family Foundation, Pam Haratsis and Justin Brox find and purchase the abandoned Pontiac Branch of the Detroit Ball Bearing Co. of Michigan, at 45580 Woodward Avenue in Pontiac.
The Board of Directors raises 1 million dollars securing 100% of the funding needed to transform the vacant factory into a state of the art healthcare center. During renovations services continue at the University Drive location.
On February 14th the Gary Burnstein Community Health Clinic opens, offering 7,000 square feet of space, three dental operatories, seven medical examination rooms, a full-service pharmacy, and education/community room. Services are made available to all uninsured, low-income Michigan residents ages 18-64.
The COVID-19 pandemic shut-down temporarily closes dental operations and moves most medical appointments to telemedicine. Thanks to dedicated staff and nurse volunteers, patients are contacted and care continues.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the Clinic experiences a year of growth. Thanks to support from the Michigan Dental Association Foundation, Delta Dental Foundation, and the Vera and Joseph Dresner Foundation, two dental operatories are added (for a total of five). Partnerships with the University of Michigan, School of Dentistry, and the hygienist program at Oakland Community College, increases the Clinic’s capacity to serve more patients. A three year grant is also secured to provide COVID-19 vaccinations and education.
GBCHC was honored to receive the American Nurses Association-Michigan (ANA-MI) 2020 Innovation Award in recognition of GBCHC’s nursing team for their innovative approach to improving nursing and patient outcomes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Medical, dental and pharmacy are exceeding pre-pandemic numbers of patients served. The building is once again renovated to accommodate the addition of five offices for behavioral health, administrative and support services.
Today, GBCHC is proud to be recognized as the largest volunteer-led free clinic in Michigan, a distinction that reflects both the scale of our services and the strength of our mission. With more than 600 volunteers contributing thousands of hours each year, we serve patients from all 83 counties across the state, ensuring that quality healthcare is available to those who otherwise might go without.
Our reach has grown far beyond traditional primary care. In addition to our core medical, dental, and pharmacy programs, we now offer 10 specialty clinics, providing patients with access to advanced services that are rarely available in a traditional healthcare setting, helping us address both routine and complex health needs with dignity and compassion.
At the heart of everything we do is Dr. Burnstein’s philosophy that everyone has the right to great healthcare, regardless of one’s ability to pay for it. By combining innovation with a deep commitment to equity, GBCHC continues to demonstrate the power of the volunteer-led model. Each patient encounter is a reminder that compassionate care, provided by skilled professionals, can transform lives and strengthen communities across Michigan—living out Dr. Burnstein’s legacy every single day.
In 1997, after working as a cardiologist, Dr. Gary Burnstein began providing care for patients at a homeless shelter in Pontiac, Michigan.
Dr. Burnstein envisions a clinic that serves uninsured adults and organizes a small group of volunteers to incorporate the free clinic under the name of Wolfe-Seiferheld Memorial Clinic. In April 2002, he receives the IRS tax-exempt designation. All services are to be provided by medical and nursing volunteers at no cost to patients. Dr. Burnstein leads by example as our original volunteer, and his model of care continues at the clinic today.
Dr. Burnstein passed away in 2003, but friends, family, and community members honored his dream of providing care to the uninsured by establishing the Dr. Gary Burnstein Community Health Clinic (GBCHC).
Kensington Church raises $500,000 and provides materials and labor to repurpose space in the old Pontiac Rescue Mission on University Dr. in Pontiac, creating the free clinic that Dr. Burnstein imagined. In October the clinic opens its doors to provide expanded healthcare services for the homeless.
Dana assumed the position of the clinic’s, CEO. She volunteered her time. Her children help with the endeavor. Dana said, “We pulled together to support the clinic’s work. It was a labor of love.”
The clinic is officially renamed Gary Burnstein Community Health Clinic (GBCHC). Dr. Kathy Pitus provides medical services for the next four years.
A fire causes the Clinic to relocate temporarily to Grace Gospel Fellowship Church. The Clinic reopens after restoration is completed in December of 2005.
Brian Harris is hired as the first Executive Director. Dana Burnstein continues to be involved in the growth and expansion of the clinic, and Ian Burnstein and Lori Burnstein Taylor join the Board of Directors. The Gary Burnstein Community Health Clinic makes services available to all uninsured residents of Oakland County.
Dana Burnstein asks local businessman and philanthropist Robert S. Peterson for help to secure a building that will offer more clinic space for medical and dental care. With critical support from the Peterson Family Foundation, Pam Haratsis and Justin Brox find and purchase the abandoned Pontiac Branch of the Detroit Ball Bearing Co. of Michigan, at 45580 Woodward Avenue in Pontiac.
The Board of Directors raises 1 million dollars securing 100% of the funding needed to transform the vacant factory into a state of the art healthcare center. During renovations services continue at the University Drive location.
On February 14th the Gary Burnstein Community Health Clinic opens, offering 7,000 square feet of space, three dental operatories, seven medical examination rooms, a full-service pharmacy, and education/community room. Services are made available to all uninsured, low-income Michigan residents ages 18-64.
The COVID-19 pandemic shut-down temporarily closes dental operations and moves most medical appointments to telemedicine. Thanks to dedicated staff and nurse volunteers, patients are contacted and care continues.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the Clinic experiences a year of growth. Thanks to support from the Michigan Dental Association Foundation, Delta Dental Foundation, and the Vera and Joseph Dresner Foundation, two dental operatories are added (for a total of five). Partnerships with the University of Michigan, School of Dentistry, and the hygienist program at Oakland Community College, increases the Clinic’s capacity to serve more patients. A three year grant is also secured to provide COVID-19 vaccinations and education.
GBCHC was honored to receive the American Nurses Association-Michigan (ANA-MI) 2020 Innovation Award in recognition of GBCHC’s nursing team for their innovative approach to improving nursing and patient outcomes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Medical, dental and pharmacy are exceeding pre-pandemic numbers of patients served. The building is once again renovated to accommodate the addition of five offices for behavioral health, administrative and support services.
Dr. Burnstein’s dream of providing free medical care for those in need began in a closet at the shelter, and grew into a small rented facility in Pontiac. The Clinic has since moved into a brand new, state-of-the-art facility that allows us to treat more patients and train more providers, pharmacists, and other allied healthcare professionals in order to reach the broader community in ways never before possible. With expanded office hours, a new dental suite, and the capacity for sustained community education programs, the GBCHC is positioned to have a larger impact as we Take Care of a very deserving community.
Care Coordinator
Director of Vaccine Outreach/Clinic Coordinator
Quality, Safety, & Continuous Improvement Manager
CEO
The Gary Burnstein Community Health Clinic helps our community thrive by removing barriers and increasing access to quality care. Our mission is to ensure that no one goes without the care they need due to financial constraints.
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