About Free Clinics

Currently over 46 million Americans are without health insurance. Lack of coverage has been linked to poor health status for uninsured individuals, their families and their communities. To meet their basic healthcare needs the uninsured turn to a complex safety net that includes physicians’ offices, hospital ERs, community health centers, and Free Clinics.  Free Clinics are an increasingly important component of that safety net.

Free Clinics are community based volunteer organizations. There are now approximately 1,000 Free Clinics in 50 states providing access to basic health care services for over 4 million citizens annually. They present unique opportunities for volunteerism by healthcare professionals.

Free Clinics may be rural or urban, freestanding, hospital-based, or affiliated with various community organizations and medical societies. Volunteers include physicians, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, social workers and administrative staff. Larger clinics have full time support staff as well as medical and administrative directors.  All are committed to serving the uninsured on a free or partial pay basis. Free Clinics are distinct from federally qualified community health centers which use predominantly paid staff, see patients with third party coverage including Medicare and Medicaid, and receive substantial support from state and federal governments.

Working adults between age 18 and 65 comprise the principal patient population served by Free Clinics. Chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and arthritis represent the primary conditions treated. Consequently the greatest demand for volunteer physicians is for generalists.

Free Clinics rely on charitable donations and volunteers to function and have been shown to return approximately $4 in healthcare services for every donated dollar. Free Clinics serve only the uninsured and typically do not serve privately insured, Medicare, or Medicaid patients. Pharmacy, lab and X-ray services may be offered and arrangements may be made for patients to see specialists pro bono in their offices as well as to receive hospital care. Some Free Clinics have risk management, disease management, and quality initiatives, others do not.

While physicians from active practice currently provide the majority of physician staffing to Free Clinics, this initiative is insufficient to meet the need for primary care and specialist services in existing Free Clinics. In addition there are a number of Free Clinics under development. The Volunteers in Medicine Institute, for example, reports that it is facilitating the development of over forty new Free Clinics and has a need to staff these clinics with volunteer primary care physicians, preferably retirees.

The practice environment in Free Clinics is relatively informal and hassle-free; hence they are generally regarded as enjoyable settings for volunteers to serve. Patients often find them more inviting than traditional office or clinic settings. Those free clinics that are most successful in attracting physician volunteers are typically located in safe places, have some full time staff that assure continuity of care, provide access to laboratory, diagnostic imaging, and pharmacy services. Access to specialist and hospital care is particularly important. The teaching and learning opportunities available at some free clinics is also attractive to many volunteers.