Free Clinics

What is offered at Free Clinics?

Our Free Clinic Program uses volunteer licensed health care professionals to provide:

• Low level triage (assessment and care planning)

• Heart health and hypertension screening

• Diabetes screening

• Education and prevention materials

• Men’s and women’s health screening

• Referrals to local community clinics or providers

• Access to HIV testing and counseling

• Access to mammography

• Care for simple wounds and acute illnesses

• Foot care (when available)

• Physical therapy (when available)

• Immunizations (when available)

How do Free Clinics work?

After a health care assessment and health history, providers determine and plan the care that is needed. Information provided through consultations addresses such issues as mentioned above and/or alcohol use, smoking cessation, nutrition, asthma, oral hygiene and exercise. Education is based on the findings of each patient’s medical history. Volunteers build relationships of trust so that all those served feel comfortable and safe.

Physicians or Nurse Practitioners write prescriptions if indicated. If sufficient care cannot be provided at the Free Clinic, the patient is educated and referred to another health care provider. Referrals facilitate connections to a “medical home” for testing and ongoing care for chronic health issues. Patients receive information on non-medical community resources so that barriers to their access to health care can ultimately be removed.

Where do Free Clinics take place?

Volunteers offer Free Clinic services in the cities of Boulder, Longmont and Lafayette for two to three hours. No appointment is necessary, and volunteers will stay until everyone requesting assistance is seen. Free Clinic takes place where people congregate for human services, including:

• Soup kitchens (three times a month),

• Community centers (seven or eight times a month), and

• Subsidized housing facilities (once a month).

Specifically, regularly-occurring locations and dates are below: