NHC SF AmeriCorps: Helping to Serve the Tenderloin District

Recently, Tenderloin Health Services on the sixth floor of GLIDE at 330 Ellis Street closed down (as did the Haight-Ashbury Free Clinic earlier this year), so HealthRIGHT 360 has been running a mobile clinic/van in front of the building as an alternative for patients to in the neighborhood. It runs on a first come, first served basis and is there every Tuesday and Thursday from 11am to 3pm. Each time, a different provider and medical assistant are present to see the patients.

 

I’ve only had the opportunity to go there once so far, but in general, we arrive at 10:30am to help get the van up and running. We set up tables and chairs outside of the van where we check patients in. The AmeriCorps members (usually Kristin and Wesley, and often Julia) are in charge of this aspect of the clinic. Patients choose their preferred time slot for that afternoon and return at their scheduled time. If all the slots are booked for the day, we tell patients to come again another day. We provide basic health screenings at the mobile van, so if someone wants to get their blood pressure and blood glucose checked, they would be able to get that done. They can also get any wounds checked out. However, oftentimes patients want a TB test, which cannot be done at the van, so we direct them to our main location at 1563 Mission Street.

The no-show rate varies at the van. Many times, patients say they plan to return at their designated time for their appointment but don’t end up coming back. Other patients do return, and some simply wait around in front of the van either for their appointment or for a slot to open up in case somebody else doesn’t show up. While some patients have expressed their concerns and frustrations, such as not having all of the services they desired, generally, they feel grateful that they even have the option to see a provider free of charge. Providers do not get paid for this service; it is all on a volunteer basis.