User:Joshuapak11/Free clinic

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 Social workers: 

''Social workers support the work of medical practitioners in free clinics. They work alongside medical staff in the clinical setting and help staff address social factors that may be affecting patient health. Their role is to bring a personalized touch to patient care alongside the medical/health perspective. Caseworkers and volunteers are more able to connect with the patients on a personal level. More and more free clinics, such as the Texas Free Clinic, emphasize the importance of simply talking to the patients and creating a one-on-one relationship with them, as research has shown this has a positive impact on the patients’ mental health. This ensures a more comprehensive approach to patient care which has been deemed necessary by many health studies conducted on the work of free clinics.''

''Since free clinics serve as a resource for marginalized groups, it is essential that their practices provide comprehensive care that reflects the concerns of their patients. The presence of a social worker in a free health clinic would bring someone along who has been trained to understand how situational factors could affect a patient's health. With a social worker present, patients would have more representation and acknowledgement regarding their experiences''.

Prescription and medical assistance programs:

Some pharmaceutical companies offer assistance programs for the drugs they manufacture. These programs allow those who are unable to pay for their medications to receive prescription drugs for free or at a greatly reduced cost. Many free clinics work to qualify patients on behalf of these programs. In some cases the clinic receive and then distribute the medications themselves, in others they verify that the patient is eligible for the program, and the medication is then shipped to the patient, or patient receives the medication from a local pharmacy.

Some free clinics sole mission is to help those who do not have prescription drug coverage, and cannot afford for their medications, to enroll in prescription assistance programs. Such clinics are known as "clinics without walls" because they dispense with the need to have their own building, exam rooms, or clinical equipment.

'''More generically, there are also medical assistance programs being offered. For example, with a Free Clinic in central Texas, there is a heavy emphasis with partnering with local mental health programs in their area. Additionally, statistics showed that patients were able to engage and socialize with the facilitators working with such programs. Individuals within the clinic were able to learn from the presentations and educational workshops the assistance programs offered.'''

 Student-run Free Clinics: 

Student-run clinics (SRC) are an increasingly prevalent part of U.S. medical school curricula, and they are designed to improve health-care delivery to underserved populations. The vast majority of these clinics are free-of-charge and they have been shown to result in high patient satisfaction The preventive medicine interventions offered at this clinics have been proved to have significantly high health and economic impacts.

Free clinics allow student volunteers to become more socially aware and culturally competent in their medical experience. Medical schools sometimes do not address social determinants of health or treatment of underserved populations, and medical students can use free clinic volunteering to learn about these issues. At free clinics, medical student volunteers learn to listen to the full history of their patients and treat them as a whole rather than a list of symptoms. '''Medical students also get invaluable hands-on experience that complements their classroom learning. Through direct patient interactions, students develop clinical skills, enhance their ability to take comprehensive patient histories, and learn to approach patient care from a holistic perspective. Additionally, working in SRCs exposes students to the realities of healthcare delivery in under-served communities, which allows them to foster a deeper understanding of the social determinants of health and to develop cultural competency.''' Medical students balance the power dynamic between the patient and provider, acting as a patient advocate. Furthermore, students who are exposed to SRCs are more likely than their peers to continue to work with underserved populations after graduation.

Effectiveness:

There are several proposed advantages to free clinics. They tend to be located in communities where there is a great need for health care. Free clinics are more flexible in structure than established medical institutions. They are also much less expensive - hence the title "free clinic." Due to their small size, their organization tends to be more egalitarian and less hierarchical, which allows for more direct exchange of information across the clinic. Unlike regular practices, they also attempt to do more than just provide healthcare. Some were created as political acts meant to advocate for socialized medicine and society.

'''Evidence shows that patients served by SRCs experience improved access to care, better management of chronic conditions, and higher satisfaction with their healthcare experience. Furthermore, research conducted within SRCs contributes to the body of knowledge on effective strategies for addressing healthcare disparities and advancing health equity. By leveraging research findings, SRCs can advocate for resources, inform best practices, and continuously improve their services to better meet the needs of under-served populations. '''

However, they do come with their own set of problems. Many free clinics lack funding and do not have enough volunteers. This can contribute to a short availability of free clinics' operation hours, and can harm free clinics' ability to provide long-term, sustainable service. For instance, they are a solution aimed towards serving tens of millions of uninsured Americans, but they function solely on the spirit of altruism. Volunteers must be willing to be available during strange hours of the day and provide professional-level care all without the possibility of financial reimbursement. Additionally, the ability of free clinics to provide long term, sustainable service and maintain continuity of care for patients is questionable, considering the instability of funding and providers. One proposition towards overcoming these challenges involves the creation of a national foundation that officially assists and connects free clinics, allowing them to evolve as necessary.