Read the full article by Ken Magri at Sacramento News & Review
Once a week, UC Davis students, many of them medical majors, team up with an attending physician to offer free medical services to Sacramento’s homeless community. On Saturday mornings, they create a makeshift facility known as The Willow Clinic at the North A Street Shelter of First Step Communities, a non-profit that works to support Sacramento’s unhoused.
Patients can be seen for primary care, chronic pain and psychiatric concerns “regardless of insurance or documentation status,” according to the clinic’s website. For more serious concerns, a doctor can make referrals to affiliated clinics. Student volunteers also help with medication refills, Medi-Cal paperwork and applications for CalFresh food assistance.
On a hot morning in June, Willow Clinic student volunteers greet patients on a walk-in basis. The atmosphere is friendly and a priority is placed on listening to the patients. To help build trust with patients, undergraduates spend time in the neighborhood before the clinic opens passing out water bottles and explaining the services available to the community. Once open, the students become “advocates” who guide each patient through their visit.