About Our Staff

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Cindy has been with the Clinic since December 2021. 

Having grown up in Montana with the mountains of Glacier National Park in her backyard, Cindy has a deep appreciation for the great outdoors.  She is excited to explore all the adventures the Smoky Mountains have to offer. 

Cindy has a background in publishing, marketing and community involvement.  Her true passion is being able to serve her community through working with non-profits.  She moved to North Carolina to be closer to family and to enjoy a slower pace.

Cindy was drawn to The Community Care Clinic because of their belief that everyone deserves basic healthcare.  She looks forward to serving the patients of the Community Care Clinic of Franklin.  She is delighted to call Franklin home and is excited to become an active part of the community.

 Cody, originally from Sylva, NC, joined the Clinic team in July 2021. He obtained his Medical Assistant Certification after graduating from Smoky Mountain High School. Currently pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Healthcare Administration, Cody began as a Medical Assistant and later transitioned to the role of Administrative Assistant to the Executive Director in August 2023. During his free time, he enjoys traveling, spending time with family, and  with his three dogs – a Maltese Poodle and two English Bulldogs. Cody is excited and ready to help the members of this community.

  Sarai has been with the Clinic since August 2021. She has been part of the Franklin community for nearly nine years now and enjoys spending time with her two kids, her daughter Valentina and her son Nicholas, as well her Husky Lola. She also loves traveling with her kids and her mother to there favorite place, Disney. She is very excited to be at the Community Care Clinic and is ready to help the members of her community.  

 Cherie has been with the Clinic since August 2021.

Having had a life-long desire to practice medicine, she finally reached that goal in 2010, after her children were grown and moved away from home. She has worked in ENT, Geriatrics, and Oncology, but her greatest satisfaction is being a Primary Care PA. One of the greatest thing about the PA profession is the ability to work in both primary care or in a specialty field. She is glad to have the opportunity work in primary care so that she can help people make better life choices that can benefit their overall health. She states "It is so rewarding to be a part of that change."

She is pleased to be one of the health care providers at the Community Care Clinic of Franklin. She derives great pleasure by being able to provide high quality, compassionate care to our patients, many of whom have either received very limited, or no health care-sometimes for years. It is her hope that with time and the excellent leadership of our Executive Director and our Board, that this clinic will be able to partner with other health care specialists in our area to better meet the needs of the uninsured in our community.  

 Hannah has been with the Clinic since February 2022. She has been caring for residents of Macon and surrounding counties for many years. As an RN, Hannah worked for both Long-term care facilities as well the Mother-Baby, Pediatric, and Medical-Surgical units of Harris Regional Hospital. After Graduating with her Nurse Practitioners Degree, she has been working in Urgent Care, Family Care, Psychiatric Care, and Internal Medicine meeting the needs of all ages. 

Ms. Caplinger started out by going to Southwestern Community for her Associates of Science in Nursing. She then transferred to Western Caroline University for her Bachelors of Science in Nursing in 2014 and Graduated in 2019 with her Master of Science in Nursing-Family Nurse Practitioner Degree. 

Ms. Caplinger was raised in Sylva, N.C. She has grown up in the community and is now raising her son Jeremiah here. She also has a lab mix named Princess Leah, and a Morkie Puppy named Bella-Ewa. She enjoys traveling, watching star wars, hiking, crafting, and reading, She is excited and ready to care for and meet the needs of this community.  

Abbi is a soon-to-be senior at Macon Early College. She is an avid reader, cook, and baker. She enjoys creating delicious casseroles and cobblers, as she finds joy in their simplicity and versatility. Although fiction is her preferred genre, she occasionally gets into biographies for a change of pace.

Following her high school graduation, Abbi aspires to become a Nurse Practitioner. This ambition led her to volunteer at our clinic, where her dedication and passion lies with helping others. Through this experience, she aims to solidify her career path in nursing, reaffirming her desire to make a difference in people's lives. Abbi's dedication to helping others makes her a valuable member of our team and we are thrilled to have her!

  Chloe has been with the Clinic since September 2024 volunteering as a Medical Assistant/Student Intern. 

Chloe is a junior at Western Carolina University studying Chemistry. At school she enjoys her part time job as a Supplemental Instruction Leader for the General Chemistry courses and also participates as an independent research student in the Physical Chemistry lab. In her free time she enjoys traveling, running, and playing guitar, violin and piano. Following graduation, Chloe plans to go to medical school back in her hometown of Columbus, Ohio and follow her ultimate career goal to become a physician. 

This love of studying medicine and interacting with patients of all different backgrounds led to her desire to volunteer at the Community Care Clinic and she is excited to work along the other members of this team to provide compassionate care to this
community.

Jordan joined our clinic the beginning of June as a Receptionist. Jordan, originally from Marion moved to Sylva, and then moved to Franklin two years ago. She is a wife, a proud cat mom, and a lover of good and bad movies. She is also a firm believer that y’all means all. 

Lisa has called Macon County home for over 30 years, although she has been spending time with family in Franklin since 1976. Her work experience is diverse with a focus on Film and Video, and Marketing and Design. She likes to spend time with family and friends, and go anywhere here is water. One of her favorite places is sitting on her porch with her cat, “Dude”, listening to the creek and watching the wildlife.

Lisa is excited to bring hope to her community with the services the CCCF offers - services that everyone need. Services that the majority of Macon County and surrounding counties are not aware of. She wants to show them that there is light at the end of the tunnel. 

   Sam is one of our newest Volunteer Medical Assistants/Student Interns here at the Community Care Clinic of Franklin. Originally from Cherokee County, Georgia, Sam moved to Cullowhee, NC to pursue his studies at Western Carolina University. With a strong passion for healthcare, his ultimate goal is to attend medical school and become a doctor. 

Sam is also a Certified Phlebotomist

 Rachel Ball is a senior undergraduate student at Western Carolina University pursuing a career in medicine. She is passionate about patient care and community health and will graduate in May with a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a pre-health concentration and a minor in Chemistry. Rachel is currently preparing for medical school, where she hopes to become a rural physician and continue serving others through compassionate, hands-on care.

Rachel volunteers at the clinic because she cares deeply about giving back to the community and believes everyone deserves access to quality healthcare. She values building genuine relationships with patients and strives to be someone they can trust and feel comfortable with. She is also excited to be part of the clinic’s weekly classes and looks forward to both learning from others and contributing new ideas along the way.

  Sophia Stenson is a sophomore undergraduate student at Western Carolina University studying Biology on the pre-healthcare track. She hopes to contribute to public health and wellbeing throughout her professional career and is passionate about equality, social justice, and community.

Sophia is grateful for the opportunity to help support equal access to the highest level of care possible at the Community Care Clinic of Franklin. She looks forward to forming lasting connections and building meaningful relationships within the community.

 Natalia Salazar Reyes will soon graduate from Western Carolina University with degrees in Health Sciences and Chemistry. She is also involved in biochemistry research focused on viruses. Originally from High Point, North Carolina, Natalia is an aspiring medical student with a passion for learning and serving others through healthcare.

Outside of academics, Natalia enjoys hiking, running, baking, and spending time with friends and family. Her favorite thing to bake is a classic chocolate chip cookie, and her favorite food is ice cream.