The Dream of Free Medical Care
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This is not your average 1-year old. No, the Clinic by the Bay was conceived by a few individuals and gestated over a 4-year period before coming to life. As a living, breathing free clinic in San Francisco, it is a testament to hard work, commitment and the belief that we can make a difference in our urban communities. As with any child of love and labor, it also puts a smile on the faces of those involved practically every day.
Free Care for the Working Uninsured
There are many medical clinics in San Francisco that attend to the needs of the homeless. Some, like the Haight-Ashbury Free Clinic and Glide Memorial Church Health Services, are famous. However, another large, medically underserved population (about 63,000) in San Francisco are the working uninsured. Clinic by the Bay is the only volunteer-powered free clinic that specifically targets those individuals who live and work in San Francisco (and Daly City) but who cannot afford to pay for health insurance for either themselves or their families.
Celebrating the First Year
In its first year of life, Clinic by The Bay has amassed some impressive accomplishments:
• Has a staff of 75 volunteer doctors, nurses and other staff providing care.
• Has enrolled 450+ patients and families into its medical home, an enrollment that is growing by 5-10% monthly.
• Has served an incredible diverse and needy community that is largely (85%) comprised of minorities.
• Has garnered over $1 million of non-federal funding and support from foundations, universities, corporations and individuals to carry out its mission.
• Has developed critical and rewarding collaborations with industry (i.e. Walgreens), other medical non-profits (Operation Access), universities such as UCSF, and prestigious hospitals like California Pacific Medical Center, Seton Hospital and San Francisco General Hospital that have insured the seamless delivery of quality care to its patients.
• Has played an active role in keeping our community not only healthy, but also productive.
When I left Africa after volunteering as a medical student, I wondered if I could ever again feel as attached to the community in which I lived. As a Founding Board member and Advisory Board Chair of Clinic by the Bay, I find that that feeling has returned again, stronger than ever, and in my own backyard! Please consider making a donation of any size to the Clinic’s great work on its first birthday.
http://www.youtube.com/v/NaMoTECKWV8?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0
