Introduction to Arbor Free Clinic
The mission of Arbor Free Clinic, one of two free clinics comprising the Cardinal Free Clinics, is to provide culturally appropriate, high quality transitional medical care for an underserved patient population and to educate and empower a new generation of healthcare leaders to proactively address health disparities and improve access to care in their communities. The Arbor staff is comprised of dedicated volunteer physicians and students. Arbor receives funding from private donors and Stanford Medical School.
Arbor was founded in 1990, the result of a Medical Scholar's research proposal to establish a volunteer clinic that would address unmet health care needs in the Stanford vicinity. From the beginning, Arbor has been organized and operated by Stanford Medical School students under faculty guidance. Originally housed within the Palo Alto Red Cross office, Arbor quickly outgrew those quarters and moved to its present location at the Menlo Park VA in 1994. In August 2013, the clinic will move to Hoover Pavilion on the Stanford campus. The clinic operates everySunday, typically handling a caseload of 15 patients.
Arbor fills a critical local niche, providing acute care to underserved or uninsured patients whose only alternative is often a hospital emergency room. In addition to acute care services, Arbor offers a broad array of on-site preventative health services including diagnostic tests and physical exams. The success stories take many forms, from catching early stage glaucoma before irreversible eye damage occurs to completing the health forms necessary for participation in community activities or youth sports.
Although budget limitations present a continual challenge, Arbor has been able to leverage its resources by building relationships with community health care providers and services. Additionally, through a combination of referrals and patient advocacy, Arbor staff serve as patient advocates and help patients to navigate the complex web of social services and community health clinics that offer them the most likely chance at continuing primary care.
For all of its growth and success, the reality is that every week Arbor turns away patients. The clinic is always looking to expand its staff of physicians and volunteers as well as to increase its funding sources. If you would like to learn more about Arbor Clinic or opportunities to support our mission, please visit these links:
