Free Clinic for the Homeless

A major addition to healthcare for the homeless in Southwest Virginia came when The Rescue Mission Free Clinic for the Homeless opened July 1, 2002, providing on-site free healthcare to the area’s homeless providing primary healthcare, referrals, access to medications and respite care.

Previously, the homeless relied on the local emergency rooms for primary healthcare or went without. The Mission’s clinic provides primary and urgent care to homeless, jobless, uninsured individuals. Services include routine physicals, chronic disease management, labs and other diagnostics, education and specialty referrals. In addition, limited psychiatric care, dental and vision care is also available.

Medical, Psychiatric and Dental Clinics

The clinics operates under the direction of a volunteer medical director and a managing staff nurse who are assisted by a part-time nurse practitioner, a medication coordinator, a medical case manager and a host of volunteer healthcare professionals from the community. Although there are a number of healthcare initiatives to assist the poor and uninsured in the Roanoke Valley, there is no agency equipped to manage the specific healthcare needs of the homeless - a population plagued with medical, psychiatric and dental issues.

New Clinic in the Works

The Rescue Mission Free Clinic began in 2002 in the basement of the main Mission building. Last year, with a budget of under $200,000, the Rescue Mission Free Clinic for the Homeless provided medical services for homeless men, women and children valued at $2,309,814.07.

With a 61% increase in clinic visits recorded in 2008, and the opportunity to offer dental as well as medical and psychiatric services, it became increasingly obvious that the Mission’s clinic needed more space in order to continue its phenomenal work.

A building across the street from the main Mission became available enabling the clinic to triple its size. This expansion will allow the clinic to have 6 exam rooms, 2 psychiatric counseling offices, 4 dental operatories and a large classroom as well as a large reception area.

Being able to hold dental, medical and psychiatric clinics simultaneously (something not possible in the current cramped basement space) means more volunteer providers can work at the same time and more patients can be seen. The shared reception area means this new expanded clinic can be operated more efficiently. This new clinic is HDAC compliant and is on a city bus route making the clinic very accessible for patients and volunteers.

Plans for the new clinic have been drawn by architect John Fulton. Lionberger Construction has been retained to build the project. Demolition is complete and construction has begun.

A campaign to raise 1 million dollars to pay for the construction was begun in 2009. More than half of the funds needed have been raised. For more information about how you can help us build the new clinic, please contact Lee Clark, Director of Development & Administration, at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 540.777.7687.

The expected completion date for the new clinic is February 14, 2010.

Buildings are important, not in and of themselves, but because of what happens in them. To see how this new clinic on the Mission’s campus can help change a life, please read Becky’s Story.