About Us
Introduction • Mission • History • Acknowledgements
Introduction
Formerly known as the Tully Road Free Clinic, the Pacific Free Clinic (PFC) is a student-run clinic that opened in May of 2003. It is located in East San Jose, an area with a high population of medically underserved individuals and families.
The Pacific Free Clinic was established by students at the Stanford University School of Medicine to address the unmet health care needs of immigrants with limited English proficiency by offering free health care services and education in a linguistically and culturally appropriate manner.
Services offered include health screenings, basic medications, and referrals. Specialty services provided include hepatitis, ophthalmology, dermatology, and women's health clinics by appointment.
We have undergraduate, preclinical and clinical medical students, and MD volunteers working alongside one another to provide acute care. Because there is a high proportion of minority immigrants, we recruit a number of bilingual undergraduates who serve as both interpreters and patient advocates.
Mission Statement
- To provide culturally appropriate high quality transitional medical care for an underserved patient population and to educate and empower a new generation of health care leaders to proactively address health disparities and improve access to care in their communities.
The History of Pacific Free Clinic
While conducting community health screenings at Bay Area Asian cultural events, Stanford Medical Students discovered a significant population of Asian-Pacific Islander (API) patients in San Jose who lack regular healthcare because of low income and/or low English proficiency. Stanford Medical School's Arbor Free Clinic, a largely student-run clinic in Menlo Park that serves over 1,000 patients a year, has been in operation for more than a decade. Many members of our team were also involved in the management of Arbor Free Clinic. Armed with that experience, the students desired to start a free clinic with Asian translation services in San Jose.
Discussions with numerous community-based organizations and local health care providers revealed a strong support and need for a free clinic serving API immigrants. Discussions with Stanford Medical School faculty revealed an interest in using Pacific Free Clinic as a vehicle for training in cultural competency and research in minority and community health.
The clinic closed for restructuring in 2008 and reopened May 30, 2009 with a more specific focus on preventative health.
Acknowledgements
The Pacific Free Clinic would like to thank the following sources for their grants and gifts: