About Us
Our practice includes a devoted staff and health care providers who specialize in a variety of training, including, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Integrative Medicine, Family Nurse Practitioners and Certified Nurse Midwifery. We believe that a single approach to a person’s health may not be sufficient for healing or maintaining health and to this end we may weave several modalities into a patient’s treatment plan to improve quality of health.
Many of our practitioners teach students from a variety of schools. We appreciate our patients allowing us to teach students while we serve our patients’ needs. Our practice thrives on the serving our patients, our community and beyond. [Many of our practitioners have served in a variety of volunteer groups including mission trips to Haiti, The US- Mexican Border, El Salvador and within the US.]
Mission
Downtown Family Health Care is committed to working with patients to facilitate healing. We are open to anyone desiring care. We offer an up to date holistic approach to caring for our patients.
History
In the year 2000, founder Greg Gelburd, DO was inspired to form a new medical practice after experiencing his own medical issue that led him to have a spiritual awakening. Within a few days of his decision, Greg, Catherine Buck, CNM and Jackie Curtis, FNP formed Downtown Family Health Care. Within nine months the practice was opened on the corner of Second Street SE and Garrett Street across from Friendship Court, a community we wanted to serve.
Banks refused to loan any money for the office build-out believing that the location was ‘in the wrong part of town’ and that serving uninsured people would bring financial ruin. We found help from the Bridge Ministry which was a combination of many people in Charlottesville including the owners of the Glass Building (Oliver Kuttner and Lisa Murphy) as well as Martha Jefferson Hospital and many other people who believed in our vision.
When it became evident that we had outgrown our small office we found space down the street and opened our office at our current location in October 2012. Our office continues to serve people who have traditionally found health care out of reach. We offer services which draw patients from neighboring Belmont and surrounding areas in Charlottesville and central Virginia.