NORFOLK, Va. – Inside the Norfolk Public Health Department is a free clinic run by student doctors at Eastern Virginia Medical School.
They’ve been in the community since 2011, but now more than ever it’s important for people to know where they are and how the clinic can help.
When some people lose their jobs, their health insurance disappears, but their health concerns are still the same.
"Even with Medicaid expansion, there are still people who don't qualify,” says Danielle Long. She’s in charge of patient outreach at the HOPES Clinic.
Doctors at the clinic don’t want people to live with that pain just because they can’t afford medical care.
"If folks don't have access to primary health care, then they end up in the emergency room. The medical system isn't built for people to get their primary care needs in the emergency room,” says Dr. Amanda Gibson. She’s the medical director at the student-run volunteer clinic.
"We provide primary care services, preventative care, cancer screenings, in addition to chronic disease management,” adds Dr. Gibson.
That doesn’t exclude other specialty options, including mental health.
"We have an orthopedic clinic; [a] women's health clinic; ears, nose and throat,” adds Long.
As the team lead of patient outreach, Long is currently looking for people who need free health services.
"Especially with the pandemic, people lost their jobs and when you lose your job, you lose your health insurance,” she adds.
They also serve people who are homeless and patients in underserved communities.
Dr. Gibson says language shouldn’t be a barrier.
"We do provide in-person Spanish interpreting services,” she adds.
No matter what service you come in for, there is always a supervising physician nearby.
And if a patient needs a prescription filled, they have options.
"We write prescriptions where we are looking at the price. We are using GoodRX and providing coupons to help them come up with an affordable plan,” said Dr. Gibson.
The clinic is at 830 Southampton Ave. in Norfolk.
To make an appointment, call 757-446-0366 or click herefor more information.
