Creating the Society of Student Run Free Clinics

For many years, faculty of student run free clinics have sought to find ways to share best practices and challenges with each other. Initially faculty gathered at the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) annual meeting, since some of the faculty were already attending. Additionally, faculty who were members of STFM could collaborate via an online discussion group (Group On) formed specifically for faculty of student run free clinics. In 2009, a conference called Sharing the Vision, which was a student-run conference on student-run clinics, was held at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in 2009. The following year saw the creation of the Society of Student Run Free Clinics (SSRFC).

Between 2010 and 2013, faculty associated with student run free clinics gathered informally during the annual SSRFC student meeting. Typically, this occurred over the lunch hour and included conversations among the attendees about shared challenges. On February 2, 2014, 18 faculty met for the first formal SSRFC 2014 Advisors Meeting. This was a 3-hour workshop held in conjunction with the SSRFC Conference in Nashville, TN. Discussion included financial sustainability of SRFCs and redefining SRFCs with the passage of the Affordable Care Act. A steering committee for a new Faculty Network was formed including the following members:


GEOFF BOSTICK PT, PHD
CORBETT HALL STUDENT PHYSICAL THERAPY CLINIC, UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA (EDMONTON, AB)

TORIAN EASTERLING, MD
SHARE STUDENT FAMILY HEALTH CENTER, NEW JERSEY MEDICAL SCHOOL (NEWARK, NJ)

WILLIAM HAY, MD
SHARING CLINIC, UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER (OMAHA, NE)

YASMIN MEAH, MD
EHHOP, ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI (NEW YORK, NY)

BRIAN SICK, MD (CHAIR)
PHILLIPS NEIGHBORHOOD CLINIC, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA (MINNEAPOLIS, MN)

LANITA WHITE, PHARMD
12TH STREET HEALTH AND WELLNESS CENTER, UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS FOR MEDICAL SCIENCES (LITTLE ROCK, AR)

The Faculty Network met virtually over the course of the next year and created a mission statement for the network, compiled a list of faculty from SRFCs and assessed the needs of the faculty.