Grey's Anatomy fans know that all it takes to open a free clinic is to have your wealthy fiancé die, leave multimillions behind and voila!--a free clinic is up and running, down to the last hospital bed and sheet. For folks who are just as eager to help the impoverished and uninsured get free medical care, the process is a bit more complex, but not impossible. Despite all odds, free clinics continue to be opened by caring and committed people around the world. Review suggested steps in this article to see how you can emulate them.
Instructions
1. Write a business plan to outline your vision for operating, managing, marketing and funding your free clinic. Contact the National Association of Free Clinics (NAFC) for tips on get your project off the ground.
2. Seek funding. Aim for a start-up grant to underwrite modifications on the facility you choose and try to obtain enough operating money for a year. Segment medically related funding sources from others to target appeals to grantors with a specific interest in healthcare start-ups.
3. Appoint a board of directors to oversee the free clinic and begin to solicit bids for malpractice and other types of insurance without which the clinic would not be able to open. Liability insurance is one of the key reasons free clinics have problems getting off the ground, so deal with this issue immediately after seating your board.
4. Find a building for your free clinic. Look for a facility that's large enough to build out a reception area/waiting room, a patient ward (two if possible to separate men from women) and enough space to accommodate staff, a lab, an office area and at least one private examination room.
5. Apply for building permits, occupancy licenses and other types of documentation as required by your city, state and local government. Expect ongoing inspections while work is being undertaken and a final walk-through from zoning and health officials when renovations are complete.
6. Obtain in-kind donations of furniture, equipment, supplies, drug samples and other necessities. Medical equipment manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies are great places to find in-kind donations, as are alumni groups at medical colleges and service organizations. Benefactors get tax write-offs. In return, find ways to acknowledge their generous donations. For instance, you may wish to post signs to thank such companies.
7. Solicit volunteers to staff the free clinic. Medical schools offer reciprocity agreements: they give senior students credit in return for hours of service. These doctors, nurses and technicians learn under the wing of senior doctors so the best way to start building your volunteer medical staff is to work from the top down and recruit an experienced doctor.
8. Get final approvals from local government to open your doors and begin seeing patients. Walk in the footsteps of other medical facilities by keeping accurate charts and detailed treatment information to estimate the value of services you're providing so your free clinic is eligible for tax write-offs and other benefits each year.
9. Set up a fund-raising arm to keep cash, supplies, equipment and goods flowing in to the facility. Seek a volunteer with fund-raising experience to oversee these efforts and don't forget to let staff know how much their help means. You needn't throw an annual black-tie affair; a pizza party with beer and wine is just as appreciated by volunteers who have been part of your free clinic's success story.
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