COLUMBUS, Ohio — Karen Frey, RN, of the Hope Clinic of Ross County, has been named Ohio’s 2025 Free Clinic Nurse of the Year, an honor presented by the Charitable Healthcare Network and the Ohio Department of Health as part of Free Clinic Appreciation Month.
Frey has been a fixture at the Hope Clinic since it opened in 2012. After a 35‑year nursing career at Adena Health System, she began volunteering with the clinic and eventually became its Nursing Director. Clinic leaders say she is the person who keeps operations running on busy clinic nights — greeting patients, coordinating labs, assisting with medication access, training new volunteers, and stepping into any role needed to keep care moving.
Patients routinely credit Frey with helping them secure treatment and prescriptions they otherwise could not afford, making her work essential for uninsured and underserved residents across Ross County.
Her service extends beyond clinical duties. Frey and her husband, Martin, volunteer together and handle much of the behind‑the‑scenes work that allows the free clinic to operate smoothly.
The award is part of CHN’s annual recognition of free clinic staff and volunteers across the state. Free Clinic Appreciation Month, established by the Ohio Legislature in 2014, highlights the role of free and charitable clinics in providing medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy, and vision services to vulnerable Ohioans.
Award recipients will be honored April 29 at the Free Clinic Appreciation Month Awards Ceremony in Columbus.