the states good samaritan laws. free clinics must still carry general liability insurance, to cover non-medical liability, such as slips and falls in the parking lot. prescription 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. dentistry some free clinics are able to assist with dental problems. this is handled either at the clinic itself, if the clinic has its own dental facilities and a dentist; or it is facilitated through a partnership with one or more local dentist who are willing to take referred patients for free. for example, a clinic might have ten local dentists who will each accept two patients per month, so this allows the clinic to treat a total of twenty dental patients each month. some clinics use a referral system to handle other forms of specialized medical care. stafford county residents watch a germanna community college dental hygiene student work on a patient during a free dental clinic sponsored by the school's dental program at the moss free clinic in fredericksburg, virginia. student-run 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 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. an example of a student-run free clinic that addresses the social determinants of health treatment is one in the university of washington, called students in the community (sitc). this clinic is the only student-run clinic to be run out of a transitional housing facility for the homeless. this clinic model speaks to the embrace by student-run clinics of the increasingly prevalent holistic approach to healthcare—one that considers the social determinants of health, such as housing, as shown through its housing-first model. the society of student-run free clinics (ssrfc) hosts a national inter-professional platform for student-run clinics. this allows the sharing of ideas, collaborate on research, information about funding resources and encourages the expansion of existing clinics as well as the cultivate of the new ones. the ssrfc faculty network works to facilitate collaboration between student-run free clinics. 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. 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. in a national level survey of patients and providers at free clinics, 97% of patients were satisfied with their care, and a further 77% preferred it over their prior care. 86% of patients relied on the clinic for primary care, and 80% of patients relied on them for pharmacy services. when asked what they would do if the free clinic did not exist, 47% would look for another free clinic, 24% would not seek care, 21% would not seek care due to costs, and 23% would use the emergency room. we can analyze that the free clinic care not only satisfies the patient, but fulfilled their healthcare needs. location milan puskar health right free clinic in morgantown, west virginia free clinics are usually located near the people they are trying to serve. in most cases they are located near other nonprofits that serve the same target community such as food-banks, head start, goodwill industries, the salvation army and public housing. because free clinics often refer people to other medical facilities for lab work, dentistry, and other services, they may also be found in the same area of town as those medical facilities. some clinics have working agreements with the other facilities that are willing to assist with the clinics mission. being close to the other medical facilities makes it easier for patients to get from one to the other. contrary to a common assumption, currently existing free clinics were not necessarily established to respond to an increase in the number of individuals who cannot afford healthcare in a given community. the prevalence of free clinics in certain areas is due to the availability of financial and human resources. for example, being close to teaching hospitals, universities, and medical facilities makes it easier to find medically trained volunteers. furthermore, the lack of federally qualified health centers (fqhc) and other safety-net providers within a certain area often becomes the perceived need that motivates community leaders to establish a free clinic. most free clinics start out using donated space; others start by renting or leasing space. in time and with enough community support, many go on to acquire their own buildings. donated space may be an entire building, or it might be a couple of rooms within a church, hospital, or another business. because the clinic will house confidential medical records, prescription medications, and must remain as clean as possible, donated space is usually set aside for the sole use of the clinic even when the clinic is closed. the national association of free & charitable clinics maintains a database of 1,200 free and charitable clinics. location of clinics region % midwest29.3 northwest10.8 south54.7 west5.3 alabama alabama free clinic, volunteer physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, medical assistants, and clerks, meet three days a week to serve those without medical insurance. arizona shubitz family clinic, run by the university of arizona college of medicine, provides free primary healthcare services to uninsured patients in tucson. arkansas welcomehealth, formerly known as northwest arkansas free health center, opened in 1986 california haight ashbury free clinics - 1967, it was the first nonsectarian free medical clinic in the united states berkeley free clinic, a free clinic in berkeley, california ucsd student-run free clinic project, a student-run free clinic in san diego, california colorado the dawn (dedicated to aurora’s wellness and needs) clinic, student-run free clinic that serves uninsured adults from the aurora community every tuesday evening connecticut americares free clinics, volunteers and donated services from area health care providers, including hospitals and diagnostic laboratories, in bridgeport, norwalk, danbury, and stamford. florida knights clinic, a free clinic in orlando, affiliated with ucf college of medicine equal access clinic network, a student-run free clinic in gainesville, affiliated with uf college of medicine mobile outreach clinic, a free clinic in gainesville, affiliated with uf college of medicine georgia the grace village medical clinic, a state of georgia certified clinic operating under the oversite of the georgia volunteer health care program (gvhcp). hawaii the aloha free clinic, hundreds of volunteer physicians treat patients monday through friday, from 9:00 a.m. until noon, then from 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. at the kalihi medical building off king street. idaho pocatello free clinic, established in 1971, one of the oldest free clinics in the united states. illinois uic student run free clinic, fully volunteer medical student run weekly clinic that operates out of the community health clinic on the west side of chicago. indiana gennesaret free clinics, opened in 1988, serves thousands of people in the indianapolis community iowa iowa city free medical clinic, a volunteer-based no-fee free clinic. kansas jaydoc clinic, student-run clinic provides non-emergency urgent and preventative care to the uninsured and underinsured populations of greater kansas city kentucky university of kentucky salvation army clinic, a student-run free clinic in lexington, kentucky louisiana love heals clinic, based in baton rouge, provides professional medical, dental, and vision services at no cost to underserved individuals and communities. maine portland community free clinic, provides healthcare at no cost to uninsured adults between the ages of 18 and 65 who live in southern maine michigan gary burnstein community health clinic, a free clinic in pontiac, michigan the health unit on davison avenue (huda) clinic, detroit's largest free clinic new york brooklyn free clinic, a student-run free clinic in brooklyn, new york affiliated with suny downstate college of medicine pennsylvania united community clinic, a student-run free clinic in philadelphia, pennsylvania affiliated with perelman school of medicine at the university of pennsylvania and university of pennsylvania school of nursing. rhode island clínica esperanza, provides linguistically-appropriate, culturally-attuned medical care to uninsured adults living in rhode island. rhode island free clinic, founded in 1999 and is made up of community partners, volunteers and supporters. south carolina barrier islands free medical clinic, a volunteer-based free clinic on johns island, sc outside of charleston. texas east texas community clinic, a free medical clinic in rural east texas that thousands of uninsured patients utilize virginia health brigade, a free clinic in richmond, virginia moss free clinic, a free clinic in fredericksburg, virginia west virginia milan puskar health right, a free clinic in morgantown, west virginia