Gaston Family Health Services ( GFHS ) has provided family medicine services to Gaston County residents since 1992. GFHS was formed as a non-profit clinic at the health department with a charge to provide health care to the "under-served" of our community. Recognizing that this population ( the uninsured, Medicaid, and low-income Medicare ) has many special needs, the GFHS program has evolved into a much more comprehensive care provider than the typical family medicine practice. In addition to traditional primary care ( health maintenance, and acute and chronic disease care ) provided by physicians and mid-level providers, GFHS also provides behavioral/mental health counseling, pharmacy services, chronic disease education programs ( in diabetes, asthma, and weight loss ), nutritional counseling, medication counseling, and a medication assistance program, as well as case management programs. GFHS also operates two dental facilities and serves as the employing entity Gaston Countys Parish Nurses Today, through its four medical clinics and three dental facilities, GFHS employs five family medicine physicians, one internal medicine physician, five mid-level providers, six dentists, and 85 other employees. GFHS provides care to more than 18, 000 patients per year ( 1 in 11 Gaston County citizens ), through more than 60, 000 clinical encounters.