A Model Of Primary Care To Meet The Needs Of The Underserved: Haven Free Clinic

Many organizations have recognized the need for a broader safety net of health care systems to care for the underserved. The Society for Student-run Free Clinics has 149 registered clinics throughout the United States and Canada2. At this time, HAVEN Free Clinic, a collaboration of the Schools of Nursing, Medicine, Physician\u27s Assistants and Public Health at Yale University and the Fair Haven Community Health Center (FHCHC), is the only student clinic that partners with a free-standing Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). Outcomes for HAVEN have been published while a description of the clinic, its structure, and how the collaborative practice model serves the needs of its patients needs to be disseminated. What makes HAVEN unique is its role as a portal to primary care that maximizes the benefits of a student clinic before transferring these patients to a permanent patient centered medical home at the Fair Haven Community Health Center. Challenges and opportunities of this partnership are discussed to facilitate replication of this model at other schools