MEDINA, Ohio -- Gearing up for its annual pig roast, the recently renamed Free Clinic of Medina County (FCOMC) is spreading awareness about the free services it provides for the community.

The clinic, originally named the Medina Health Ministry, started seeing its first patients in 2004. The clinic changed its name to the Free Clinic of Medina County in April because of the religious connotation that came with the word "ministry."

"Most people hear it as a religious term," said Nancy Peacock, the clinic's executive director. "So eventually the board just went, 'you know what? We're a free clinic; we cover Medina County. Let's rename ourselves the Free Clinic of Medina County and then everyone knows exactly what we do.'"

The clinic sees working patients ages 18 to 64 who fall anywhere between 139 percent and 250 percent of the federal poverty line. According to Peacock, this group of people doesn't qualify for Medicaid or Medicare, but they generally are uninsured. And those who are insured normally have high deductibles that make their insurance unusable.

Some of the items for auction at the annual pig roast. (Sean McDonnell, special to cleveland.com)

"There's a heck of a lot of people who are earning a paycheck, they're managing to take care of their families, but the healthcare costs when it happens levels their budget," Peacock said.

The clinic is staffed by volunteer doctors and nurses who offer their time to see patients. The clinic has about a dozen of each, as well as other volunteers who do administrative work for the clinic.

Peacock said when people are stressed out financially, everything is an issue. This is why the clinic has evening hours, and even has volunteers who can pick up patients for their appointments.

"This is not charity; this is networking," Peacock said. "I think this whole charity thing is an irrelevant point. If I can help you or you can help me maintain my quality of life, I call it networking."

Each year, the organization holds a pig roast fundraiser, and the annual event is coming up on Aug. 25. The clinic will be selling tickets to the event at FCOMC.org, as well as having a silent auction with items donated to the clinic.

Due to doctors volunteering their time, and the Cleveland Clinic helping to provide locations in both Medina and Lodi for a substantially low cost, the FCOMC pays for its operating expenses with one annual fundraiser.

"We don't have the expenses that make health care so expensive," Peacock said.

Peacock said the clinic is looking to raise awareness so that more people can take advantage of its programs. With the money from the pig roast and donations throughout the year, the FCOMC tries to provide the same experience patients would get from private health care, for people who can't afford it.

"We make a real point of trying to treat people the way they want to be treated," Peacock said. "We want to give them all the respect and courtesy you would get if you were a full-pay patient."