About Us

Our Mission and Whom We Serve

Inner City Health is a Christ-centered healthcare home for underserved individuals with consistent, high-quality treatment in an atmosphere of genuine respect. We express our love for Jesus Christ and our compassion for those in need through our deep concern for their physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.  

Our staff’s diverse culture, ethnicity, and faith reflects the community we serve. Our healthcare home is grounded in inclusivity with mutual love, genuine respect, and acceptance for all without judgment. We provide access to quality healthcare to remove barriers of inequity for all.

As we enter our 40th year of serving metro Denver, the mission of ICH remains sharply focused on providing equitable, high-quality healthcare for all. Our ongoing goal is to eliminate barriers to accessible medical management.

Since 1983, our community has grown to almost 30,000 annual patient visits from throughout metro Denver and beyond. During this time, our Denver Clinic moved from Downing to York Street and added a campus in Wheat Ridge. Currently, the Denver Clinic is being expanded to meet the increased demand for our family-centered healthcare.

With a team of skilled, dedicated providers, we administer comprehensive family healthcare for all ages integrating medical, dental, and behavioral services for overall wellness. Our diverse, multilingual team is experienced in working with all populations to ensure no one is left behind.

Our mission of care welcomes a broad spectrum of people including:

  • Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) recipients

  • Medicaid recipients

  • Medicare recipients

  • Uninsured (please call to learn about our income-based sliding fee scale)

  • Insured and underinsured (please call to learn about our insurance partners)

We are a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) Look-Alike and a Colorado Indigent Care Provider that facilitates Presumptive Eligibility for Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Coverage.

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Our staff’s diverse culture, ethnicity, and faith reflects the community we serve. Our healthcare home is grounded in inclusivity with mutual love, genuine respect and acceptance for all without judgment. We provide access to quality healthcare to remove barriers of inequity for all.

The Inner City Health story

Our founders Dr. Robert Williams and Dr. Duane Claassen had two “chance” meetings at national conferences in 1981 and 1982. During their second encounter, they realized a shared calling to provide equitable healthcare to those who need it. This is when the concept to open a Denver health clinic began.

Following an accessible healthcare needs assessment, Dr. Bob and Jan Williams identified Denver's Five Points neighborhood as the ideal location to serve. Community leaders and pastors supported the idea and welcomed the addition of ICH to the Five Points neighborhood. The Williams' invited Dr. Duane and Marjanne Claassen to move from Mississippi to Denver and join them to open ICH. Both families relocated to Five Points to experience life as residents and gain understanding of neighborhood needs.

On December 3, 1983, Doctors Robert Williams and Duane Claassen opened the doors to ICH’s Downing Street home. The physicians served as medical providers while Jan Williams was our first Counselor. In 2009 increased patient visits necessitated our move to the larger York Street location to accommodate growth. Through the years, our patients expanded from the Five Points neighborhood to Metro Denver residents and beyond. In 2018 we spread our footprint to the Wheat Ridge campus to make our healthcare services more geographically accessible.

Beginning in 1983, a new generation grew up with ICH in their neighborhood. We are proud to say some citizens from Five Points have gone on to become our staff members. While our founders' goal was to improve lives with equitable healthcare in Five Points, they unknowingly created the gift of work experience and careers for the community as well.

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Since 1983, the calling to bring healthcare equity to Five Points has been blessed beyond our founders' hopes and dreams. As patient visits have increased to 30,000 annually, ICH has grown to meet the need for accessible service in metro Denver and beyond with two locations. Our founders' legacy in Five Points lives on with staff members who grew up as ICH patients choosing to build their healthcare career with us.

Administration

Charles S. Gilford III

Chief Executive Officer

Charles is a proud Colorado native and advocate for change and innovation. He serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Inner City Health a Christ-centered based non-profit in Denver that provides healthcare to the underserved with consistent, high quality treatment in an atmosphere of genuine respect. He has a vision for Inner City Health to be a beacon of service, access, education, and empowerment for the community; a health center that is a large collaborative partner with grassroots connections and a family practice feel. Prior to his current role, he worked for Fortune 2 ranked company Amazon and Fortune 26 ranked COMCAST in the private sector. His professional experience spans into government as well where he served as an appointee for Mayor Michael B. Hancock in the City and County of Denver. His scope included being a bridge between governmental branches and Denver metro regional partners. He drove projects that impacted $3.65B of capital expenditures, was the co-site Director for the COVID19 unhoused shelter operations, and many other duties. Charles serves on several boards, is a gubernatorial/mayoral appointed commissioner, and is an Associate Pastor for ONE a Potter’s House Church. Charles’ beloved alma mater is the University of Colorado at Boulder where he studied Business Administration and Leadership. Most importantly, Charles is a proud husband to Rikki and loving father to Liliana and his son Charles IV. His hobbies include listening to Presidential Primaries, reading, learning foreign languages, and volunteering on ranches working with horses.

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Andrea Cortez

Chief Operating Officer

Andrea has a Master's Degree in Business Administration with a focus in Healthcare Systems from Grand Canyon University, and a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Psychology from the University of Colorado Denver. She is also a licensed EMT in the state of Colorado. Andrea has over 10 years of healthcare operational experience from clinical and hospital settings to foundation work. Her career at ICH began as a volunteer and transitioned to the Medical Office Manager before Andrea was promoted to COO in October 2021.

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Andrew Shahidi, CPA

Chief Financial Officer

Andrew has a Master’s Degree in Accountancy from West Virginia University, a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Denver and is a licensed CPA in Colorado. From 1999 onward, he worked in various accountancy positions. From 2014 – present, he has been an adjunct professor at Metropolitan State University and Red Rocks Community College. He joined ICH as CFO in 2017.

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Laura Lee Coleman

Marketing and Promotions Officer

Laura Lee has served as the Marketing and Promotions Officer for ICH since April of 2022. Prior to joining ICH, she had over 30 years of executive level multimedia experience in marketing, advertising and communications and is an alumni of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Laura Lee worked in digital, broadcast, and print media in the Denver, Houston, and Little Rock markets.

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Melissa Baker

Executive Assistant

Melissa has served as the Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer since March 6, 2023. Before joining Inner City Health (ICH), she worked in Law Enforcement with the State of Colorado, fulfilling multiple roles for 16 years. Melissa obtained her bachelor's degree from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. Melissa is thrilled to be a part of the ICH team, and as ICH grows, she hopes to grow her career along with it.

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Inner City Health

Since 1983,  ICH has provided high-quality, equitable, integrated health and wellness care to all Metro Denver and regional residents, regardless of their ability to pay.

Become a
Patient Today

Celebrating our 40th year of serving the community, we make healthcare accessible with two locations for your convenience. Our dedicated teams put you first, delivering medical, dental and behavioral care with the kindness and expertise we all deserve regardless of the ability to pay. Our Enrollment Specialist can help you navigate healthcare coverage eligibility and enrollment as well as an income-based sliding fee scale so you and our providers can focus on your care.