Who We Are
Our story
More than thirty years of putting patients first — from a single Monroe office to a trusted medical home across North and South Carolina.
How it began
From an ER physician’s vision in 1994
First Care Medical Clinic was founded by Dr. Benedict Okwara in 1994. At the time, Dr. Okwara was working as an Emergency Room physician in Monroe. He saw many patients coming to the emergency room for reasons that did not require an emergency visit — from medication refills to sick visits. With this in mind, he opened First Care Medical Clinic as an urgent care practice.
After operating as an urgent care for about three years, Dr. Okwara recognized that many patients did not have a primary care provider. Preventive medicine had always been his guiding philosophy, so he evolved First Care Medical Clinic into a comprehensive primary care practice — the legacy we carry to this day.
Meeting patients where they are
No appointment needed — new and established patients can walk in any time and be seen by a provider.
No one left behind
We book Ubers and taxis for patients who need a ride. A lack of transportation should never prevent care.
Open when you need us
Open 9 AM – 6 PM Monday through Friday, with three offices also open Saturdays 9 AM – 5 PM.
Our Integrated Care Model
One medical home for your whole health
We believe comprehensive, coordinated care leads to a better experience and better outcomes. By centralizing physical and behavioral health under one roof, patients get nearly all of their needs met in one place — a true medical home.
Physical Health
- Annual wellness exams
- Acute & sick visits
- Vaccinations & immunotherapy
- EKGs & remote monitoring
- Ultrasounds & imaging
- In-house laboratory
- Home sleep testing
- Chronic care management
Your Medical Home
Coordinated care for the whole person — physical + behavioral, together.
Behavioral Health
- Behavioral health assessments
- Behavioral Health Care Managers
- Consulting Psychiatrists
- Collaborative Care Model (CoCM)
Launched in 2025 under Dr. Okwara’s leadership, our Collaborative Care Model brings behavioral health specialists into your primary care team.
Expanding to whole-person care in 2025
Building on the foundations of comprehensive care, First Care Medical Clinic expanded to behavioral health in 2025 by launching the Collaborative Care Model (CoCM). Due to a shortage of external psychiatrists and behavioral health providers, the needs of many patients were often left unaddressed. Under Dr. Okwara’s leadership, we built our own internal behavioral health infrastructure — a team of Behavioral Health Care Managers and Consulting Psychiatrists working hand-in-hand with primary care to treat the whole person, physical and behavioral, under one roof.