Reflection Paper Free Clinic

Healthcare for low income individuals with little to no coverage is one of the leading civil rights issues within America. As of 2011, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that 48.6 million people of the nation are uninsured not including those who are underinsured. Although this number decreased from 50 million of the previous year, many people remain deprived of health security (Fox, 2012). During the summer of 2012, I had the opportunity to observe and work with the uninsured/underinsured community at the Rockbridge Area Free clinic in Lexington, Virginia. The clinic attempts to support the community by serving the margin of people that are not receiving their basic healthcare needs. In 2012 the Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis reported

The clinic addresses these needs through offering an array of services such as medical care, dental care, medication, and mental health. Their goal is to build up the community by supporting those individuals in the work force. The clinic serves 2,000 patients per year with more than 10,000 visits (Elrod). Student’s participating in the Shepherds Poverty Alliance Program are able to gain experience at the clinic each summer. Through the patient care internship students provide clinical support and patient triage under the supervision of the licensed health staff by helping the nurses with daily medical clinics, Thursday evening clinic, Wednesday evening Women’s Health Clinics, and Group Medical Visits. The goal of the experience is to gain a thorough understanding of the elements that keep a clinic functioning in impoverished communities. Additionally, patient care responsibilities such as management of patient files, appointment reminder calls, client information database updates, and special projects are part of everyday responsibility. One of the main services of the Rockbridge Area Free Clinic is mental health. This and preventive care could be observed to be the two essential aspect of the clinics services. In an article by Vonnie C. McLoyd, and Leon Wilson quote Makosky and Ray by stating, “Poverty, especially if it is long standing, is a pervasive rather than bounded crisis distinguished by a high contagion of stressors that grind away and deplete emotional reserves” (Appalachia: America 's Forgotten People ). In 2012 the Rockbridge Area Free Clinic found that mental health was among the top five patient reported reasons for appointment, being third to hypertension and diabetes. Without services to address these community needs the Clinic would not be fulfilling is