U of M opens neighborhood clinic to provide health care to the uninsured

From M, spring 2003

"The number of Minnesotans living without safe and stable shelter has tripled in the last decade... and the challenges these individuals face in staying healthy and alive are staggering," says John Song, assistant professor in the Center for Bioethics at the University of Minnesota's Medical School.

In March, the University opened the Phillips Neighborhood Clinic in one of the poorest areas in Minneapolis with an all-volunteer staff and mostly donated equipment. Located in the basement of the Oliver Presbyterian Church, the clinic serves patients from all over the Twin Cities area.

Song, along with clinic coordinator and U medical professor Eric Meininger, supervises the staff, which includes University students from various disciplines. One evening a week, the clinic offers basic health screenings, acute medical care services, and referrals to other health care providers. Language interpreters are always on site. The clinic bills for its services using a sliding scale based on the patient's family size and income. If patients have no ability to pay, they are not turned away.

Nicole Williams, a second-year medical student from Shoreview, Minnesota, who hopes to specialize in pediatric neurology, worked hard to get the clinic up and running. "We've all gone into medicine because we want to help people. This clinic is an opportunity to do that even earlier in our training," she says.

One of the things that excite Williams most about the clinic is that medical students work hand-in-hand with physical therapy students, nursing students, and--beginning in the fall--social work interns. All are colleagues providing the best care they can for the clinic's clients and helping to connect them with the services they need. To ensure continuity of care for patients, the staff is encouraged to make a firm time commitment to the clinic.

To contact the Phillips Neighborhood Clinic, call 612-724-1690. To donate money or equipment, contact John Song at songx006@umn.edu or Eric Meininger at meini002@umn.edu.