Guadalupe Free Clinic Serving the indigent and medically-uninsured

About Us

The Guadalupe Free Clinic of Colonial Beach, Inc. is a medical free clinic serving the indigent and medically-uninsured population of Westmoreland County and the Town of Colonial Beach, on the Northern Neck of Virginia, southeast of Fredericksburg. Founded in 2004, the Guadalupe Free Clinic is a part of the Catholic Diocese of Arlington and operates on the grounds of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church in Colonial Beach and is staffed solely by volunteers.

A July 2004 report in the Washington Post revealed that nearly 25 percent of the residents of the town of Colonial Beach live at or below the federal poverty line. Nearly 33 percent and perhaps up to 40 percent of the town residents maintain no medical insurance.

There is no free clinic between Fredericksburg, Virginia and Kilmarnock, Virginia on the Northern Neck. The distance between the two municipalities is approximately 95 miles, each of which maintains a free clinic. However, residents of Colonial Beach and of surrounding Westmoreland County cannot easily receive medical care in either Fredericksburg or in Kilmarnock due to distance and these free clinics' eligibility limitations and regulations.

Another factor contributing to the need for a free clinic in Colonial Beach is the ever-growing Hispanic population. Religious leaders in the Northern Neck commonly believe that there are approximately 7,000 Hispanics that live in this section of Virginia. A significant percentage of this population is not medically insured due to illegal immigration status or lack of full-time employment status that includes health benefits. This provides the Clinic with a unique opportunity to serve a segment of the population that typically does not have access to low-cost or free health care.

Mission Statement:

The Guadalupe Free Clinic, an apostolate of the Catholic Diocese of Arlington, which operates on the grounds of St. Elizabeth Catholic Church, is an all-volunteer free health clinic that seeks to serve the indigent, working poor and medically uninsured residents of the Town of Colonial Beach and Westmoreland County, Virginia. The Clinic is committed to providing high-quality primary medical care, referrals to medical specialists and discount pharmaceutical services for its patients. Guided by Catholic principles for health care, the Clinic seeks to assist in the total healing of all patients, regardless of ethnicity or creed.

Meet our Board of Directors

John Ryan Anderson, MD – Ryan was among the first doctors to volunteer at the GFC. A staff physician at the Pratt Medical Center in Fredericksburg, Ryan makes his home in Fredericksburg, VA.

Leonard J. Fontenot – Len was born, raised and educated in New Orleans, La, where he completed a B.S. in Physics from Loyola University New Orleans in 1966. Later, he completed a M.S. Public Administration from Virginia Tech (2001). Now retired, he worked for over 35 years with the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren, VA as a program manager, line manager, and strategic planner. Len has been a parishioner of St. Elizabeth/St. Anthony since 1966 and has served there in many capacities. He has been involved in the GFC’s work from its inception in 2005.

Jay B. Jackson - Originally from Daytona Beach , Florida, Jay is an attorney for GEICO, where he has worked for 23 years. Jay attended law school at the Catholic University of America in Washington , DC and completed his undergraduate degree at Virginia Tech. Prior to joining the GFC, Jay served on the board of directors of Lloyd Moss Free Clinic in Fredericksburg, Virginia for six years.

Walter J. Kiwall – a native Pennsylvanian, Walt is the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for MediCorp Health System and President of the Stafford Hospital Center. He earned undergraduate degrees from Penn State University and California University of Pennsylvania in Engineering and Business. He completed his MBA at the University of Pittsburgh. He has executive responsibility for the operations and business development of the MediCorp Health System.

Fr. Jerome A. Magat – originally from Washington, DC, Father Magat is the founder of the Clinic and was its first executive director. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Virginia in 1995 and his seminary studies at Mt. St. Mary’s Seminary in 2002. Once the parochial vicar of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church and St. Anthony of Padua Mission in Colonial Beach and King George, Virginia, respectively, he is currently assigned to Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Arlington and serves as the President of the GFC of Colonial Beach, Inc.

Daniel G. Muldoon, MD – Dr. Muldoon not only serves on the board – he’s the GFC’s medical director. Originally from Bowie, MD, Dan earned his B.S. in Biology from Mt. St Mary's College in 1989 and graduated from Georgetown University’s School of Medicine 1995. From there, he went on to do his residency at Ghent Family Practice in Norfolk, VA and finished in 1998. Currently, he is a family physician at Rappahannock Family Physicians in Fredericksburg, VA

Jennifer S. Rollins – originally from California but considers herself to be a Midwesterner since her parents are from Indiana. Jenn’s a home-schooling mom who also happens to be a self- employed CPA and a semi-professional volunteer (scouts, little league, parks and rec, etc).

Fr. John A. Ziegler – from Detroit, Michigan, Fr. Ziegler is the parish administrator of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church and St. Anthony of Padua Mission in Colonial Beach and King George, Virginia, respectively. A former attorney, he was ordained in 1996 for the Arlington Diocese. Fr. Zielger completed his seminary studies at Mt. St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

Joe Grzeika - Originally from Connecticut, Joe has lived in the King George / Dahlgren area since 1977, after a career in the Navy. Joe earned a BS in computer science from the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg and retired from Planning Consultants, Inc. as president in 2006 and currently contracts for Strategic Insight in Dahlgren, Virginia. Joe is in his 3rd term (12th year) on the King George County Board of Supervisors and was re-elected to for a 4th term in the 2007 election. Joe and his wife, Anita have two daughters and four grandchildren and remain active members of St. Anthony of Padua Mission in King George.

Non-Board Members

Gregory F. Dilick – Since 2007, Greg has served as our Executive Director, a position he inherited from Fr. Magat. Greg comes to the GFC with over 40 years of project management and Naval officer experience. He spent most of his post-Naval career working for Northrup-Grumman in Dahlgren, VA. Greg and his wife, Jackie, are parishioners of St. Anthony of Padua Mission in King George, VA.

Sylvia Fontenot – Originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, Len’s better half is the Board of Director’s official scribe and maintains our meeting minutes. Along with Len, Sylvia was instrumental in the founding of the GFC and has served in a variety of capacities ranging from accounting to data management.

Constance Prescott, RN – A native Floridian, Connie is the Associate Medical Director of the GFC. She comes to the GFC with over 40 years of nursing experience, including work in the Emergency Medicine, Pediatrics and Adolescents, Chemical Dependency and Surgical Nursing. Connie has been instrumental in helping establish our medical protocols and standards of care at the GFC as well as establishing our basic programs and network of specialists and pharmacists.