Seven-year-old Courtney Lozano sat in her matching butterfly pants and shirt, swinging her legs and describing her symptoms. “Every time I cough hard, my throat hurts,” she said. “I think I got sick because I was in school and I didn’t put my jacket fully on.” Like she had many times befor e, Courtney’s mom, Clara Susana Lozano, brought her daughter to one of the Kids First clinics, which offer care to anyone younger than 21, regardless of their insurance status. Kids First Health Care, a nonprofit based in Commerce City, operates nine clinics in Adams County. Seven of them are inside schools. The Denver Post Season To Share is the annual holiday fundraising campaign for The Denver Post and The Denver Post Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Grants are awarded to local nonprofit agencies that provide life-changing programs to help low-income children, families and individuals move out of poverty toward stabilization and self-sufficiency. Visit seasontoshare.com to learn more or to donate now. Courtney is one of thousands of kids who receive pediatric, behavioral and some dental care each year from Kids First Health Care, which receives funding from The Denver Post Community Foundation’s Season to Share program. Each of the clinics also has a behavioral health practitioner available for mental health care. “We’re a place where people know they can receive care,” said Dr. Amanda Jichlinski, the organization’s sole physician. “There are other clinics around, but … they are really at capacity.” Many private practice pediatricians don’t accept Medicaid, or they have a limit on the number of Medicaid patients they will treat. Kids First doesn’t have such limitations; more than half of its patients are on Medicaid, and more than a quarter have no insurance at all. Its clinics also help families fill out paperwork for Medicaid enrollment. “I don’t know how you can allow a child who needs care to not receive health care. That doesn’t seem right to me,” Jichlinski said. “I love working for a place where I don’t have to turn someone away because of their circumstances.” The organization has clinics at Adams County High School, Lester Arnold High School, Adams City Middle School, Kearney Middle School, Thornton High School, Westminster High School and Brighton High School. The two clinics outside of schools are the Commerce City Community Clinic and the Alto Community Clinic in Westminster. While all of the clinics are in Adams County, families who live anywhere can use their services. The community clinics are located next to other social services and nonprofits that help families with things like housing and nutrition. The clinicians, who focus on forming comprehensive relationships with their patients, also offer general reproductive health care for teens, including education. Like many nonprofits, Kids First Health Care’s biggest cost is its staff members. “Any donation would support the work that we do — and the work our very talented and worthy staff members do across the board,” Jichlinski said. The organization is also planning an expansion for one of its school-based clinics, in Westminster. The clinicians’ current space is in a closet. Books for patients of all ages sit on a shelf, along with a display showing how much sugar is in various drinks, at a Kids First Health Care clinic in Westminster, Colorado, on Monday, November 24, 2025. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post) Related Articles Denver Kids creates personal connections with students, spurring success in academics, jobs Jewish Family Service of Colorado marks 153 years of providing food aid and housing support Child Health Clinic provides care for 13,000 kids — and fresh vegetables Colorado Dream Foundation provides creative opportunities for Denver students Team of dentists making oral care a priority for the homeless On a day in late November, Jichlinski diagnosed Courtney with a viral infection in her throat. She ordered blood work as well to see what could be causing some pain in the girl’s hands and feet. She ended the visit by talking with Courtney’s mom about ways to reduce her daughter’s screen time to make sure she’s getting enough rest. Lozano said she’d brought her children to the clinic for 10 years. “Es que siempre nos ha atendido bien,” she said in Spanish when asked what keeps her coming back. Jichlinski, who speaks English, Spanish and French, translated: “They’re always taking good care of us.” Kids First Health Care Address: 7190 Colorado Blvd., Suite 450, Commerce City, CO 80022 In operation since: 1978 Number of employees: 56 Number of volunteers: 20 (through student advisory committees) Annual budget: About $6.3 million Number of clients served: 4,000 annually ...read more read less