Alex Chang/LA Times
In April 2014, a small group of UC Irvine undergraduates had an idea to open a free healthcare clinic for underserved patients that would also prepare them for medical careers. In just eight months, their idea turned into a reality.
Students at UC Irvine started the An Lanh Clinic to help the underserved community. (Photo: https://clubs.uci.edu/freeclinic/news-updates)
The An Lanh Clinic in Garden Grove celebrated its first anniversary on Dec. 13. The space at 12741 Main St. operates with around 40 UCI undergrads, according to Andy Nguyen, a UCI senior and the clinic’s student president.
More than 18 physicians, 53 medical students and multiple healthcare professionals — both within and outside the UCI community — have volunteered their time to work with patients. Everyone involved is a volunteer.
They have served more than 200 patients who were uninsured or could not afford other healthcare options. The average family income of the patients was $17,870 for a family of four.
Before their dream of opening a free clinic became a reality, An Lanh’s founders first proposed their idea for the facility to a physician at a Kaiser Permanente office in Anaheim.
General meeting of the the students operating the clinic at UCI. (Photo: https://clubs.uci.edu/freeclinic/news-updates)
The physician had connections with Lestonnac Free Clinics, centers that offer free medical and dental care across Orange County.
Lestonnac allowed the students to occupy one of their satellite free clinics in Garden Grove and provided them with medical equipment, such as test kits and devices to measure blood pressure and heart rate.
The students also needed to decide on a name for their medical haven. By spring of 2015, the group decided on the name “An Lanh,” meaning “peace” or “healing” in Vietnamese.
Since opening day, the students have devoted their Saturdays, the only day that the clinic is open, to An Lanh. The clinic operates from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Patients visit for free, only paying the cost to attain their prescriptions or to complete medical tests that require lab fees.
To read more, click here: http://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/tn-dpt-me-0110-free-clinic-20160109-story.html
