NHC SF AmeriCorps: Helping to Serve the Tenderloin District
Every weeks, our NHC-SF AmeriCorps members will blog about their 2019-2020 year of service. NHC members will gain invaluable experience while supporting the health care safety net by serving at host sites such as community health centers and Department of Public Health sites to provide health education and care to vulnerable and underserved SF residents.
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.
Thus far, it has been an eye-opening and great learning experience. This was my first time at any mobile clinic, and it is unlike anything else I have done before. Many of the volunteer providers enjoy helping out at the van because they see it as a nice change of pace and a breath of fresh air from their usual routine. I enjoyed my time there (despite the chilly weather), and I look forward to spending more time there in the near future as we expand the mobile service to five days a week in January 2020.
This post was written by NHC member Joanne Lum. Joanne serves at HealthRIGHT 360’s Integrated Care Center as a Nutrition Care Coordinator.