In May 1972, papers were drawn up and filed to incorporate Community Health Center. The first headquarters was in an old apartment building on College Street in Middletown where two bedrooms were turned into medical offices. The kitchen became a dental clinic, with equipment donated from a group that gave supplies to missionaries in Africa.
The clinic was staffed by five local dentists who donated their time. No local physicians were willing to volunteer, but a friend of a board member came once a month from Montefiore Medical Center in New York City where he was finishing his residency.