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Jackson Free Clinic

The Jackson Free Clinic (JFC) is run by medical students at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson as well as volunteer physicians from the local community. It offers non-emergency medical care, including evaluation, testing, prescription drugs and education, to individuals who cannot pay.

Staffing for our clinic is solely on a volunteer basis. The student-run Jackson Free Clinic was created to increase access to health care and assist in restoring health and employment in an underserved population. We focus on major health care issues affecting under-served individuals by providing high quality and caring treatment and education for prevention of acute and chronic medical conditions. Through our efforts, we strive to decrease the emotional and financial burden on the uninsured and society.

The clinic, located at 925 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, is open from noon-4 p.m. Saturdays. It is staffed by volunteer medical students including, but not limited to, one upperclassman (third- or fourth-year medical student). Each Saturday, there is at least one volunteer physician who supervises patient care.

History

In the fall of 2000, Dr. Joyce Olutade, an assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine at UMMC, addressed the student leaders of the Family Medicine Interest Group. She proposed a student-run health clinic to serve the indigent and homeless populations of Jackson. She had recently worked in a similar facility in California, and felt Jackson would benefit from this type of clinic. The clinic would provide a needed service while allowing medical students to gain knowledge and experience in a clinic setting. An organizational meeting was held, and six medical students began working to make this idea a reality.

Mission statement

• To provide high-quality health services to individuals in Jackson who have inadequate access to medical care. Our services include examination, treatment, education, preventive care and referrals to appropriate community resources when necessary;
• To provide the opportunity for medical students to learn from physicians, patients and other medical students in a collaborative, professional setting;
• To promote awareness of the ongoing needs of our patients.