A free clinic or walk in clinic is a health care facility in the United States offering services to economically disadvantaged individuals for free or at a nominal cost. The need for such a clinic arises in societies where there is no universal healthcare, and therefore a social safety net has arisen in its place.[1] Core staff members may hold full-time paid positions, however, most of the staff a patient will encounter are volunteers drawn from the local medical community.[2]
Free clinics are non-profit facilities, funded by government or private donors, that provide primary care, preventive healthcare, and additional health services to the medically underserved. Many free clinics are made possible through the service of volunteers, the donation of goods, and community support, because many free clinics receive little government funding.[3]
Regardless of health insurance coverage, all individuals can receive health services from free clinics.[4] However, said services are intended for persons with limited incomes, no health insurance, and/or who do not qualify for Medicaid and Medicare. Also included are underinsured individuals; meaning those who have only limited medical coverage (such as catastrophic care coverage, but not regular coverage), or who have insurance, but their policies include high medical deductibles that they are unable to afford. To offset costs, some clinics charge a nominal fee to those whose income is deemed sufficient to pay a fee.[5] Clinics often use the term "underinsured" to describe the working poor.[6]
Most free clinics provide treatment for routine illness or injuries; and long-term chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma and high cholesterol. Many also provide a limited range of medical testing, prescription drug assistance, women's health care, and dental care. Free clinics do not function as emergency care providers, and most do not handle employment related injuries. Few, if any, free clinics offer care for chronic pain as that would require them to dispense narcotics. For a free clinic such care is almost always cost-prohibitive. Handling narcotics requires a high level of physical security for the staff and building along with more paperwork and government regulation compared to what other prescription medications require.[7][8]
- ^ "Healthcare in the United States: The top five things you need to know". MIT Medical. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
- ^ "Why Med Students Volunteering at a Free Clinic is Worth More Than They Might Expect". Blueprint Prep. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
- ^ Smith, Noah (2021-05-25). "Free Clinics Ensure Care Throughout the Pandemic". Direct Relief. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
- ^ Kamimura, Akiko; Christensen, Nancy; Tabler, Jennifer; Ashby, Jeanie; Olson, Lenora M. (2013-08-01). "Patients Utilizing a Free Clinic: Physical and Mental Health, Health Literacy, and Social Support". Journal of Community Health. 38 (4): 716–723. doi:10.1007/s10900-013-9669-x. ISSN 1573-3610. PMID 23463329. S2CID 25540170.
- ^ Darnell, Julie (2011). "What is the Role of Free Clinics in the Safety Net?". Medical Care. 49 (11): 978–984. doi:10.1097/MLR.0b013e3182358e6d. ISSN 0025-7079. JSTOR 23053788. PMID 22005605. S2CID 19850125.
- ^ Tolbert, Jennifer; Drake, Patrick (2022-12-19). "Key Facts about the Uninsured Population". KFF. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
- ^ Friedman, Gordon S. (1974). "Free Clinics and the Law". Journal of Social Issues. 30 (1): 143–152. doi:10.1111/j.1540-4560.1974.tb00704.x.
- ^ Rahman, Shams; Mirza, Abu-Sayeef; Stenback, Jennifer; Green, Shikerria; Mayers, Yeshuwa; Iranmanesh, Elhaam; Pribish, Abby; Islam, Saneeya; Woodard, Laurie (2018). "Burden of Chronic Conditions among Patients from Free Clinics: A Retrospective Chart Review of 2015". Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved. 29 (3): 1011–1026. doi:10.1353/hpu.2018.0076. ISSN 1548-6869. PMID 30122680. S2CID 52039441.