JeffHOPE is the largest student-run free clinic nationally, by number of members, number of patients treated, and by operating budget. The idea was first proposed in 1991 by then Jefferson medical student Lara Carson Weinstein in response to the lack of medical care options for the homeless population of Philadelphia. Since then we have expanded to include five clinics—two at men’s shelters, two at women and children’s shelters, and one at a harm reduction program. Each year we have a staff of approximately 60 first and second year medical students and 15 third and fourth year medical students.
While we have expanded over the years, so has the public health infrastructure in Philadelphia. With the expansion of PHMC clinics, PhillyFight clinics, and other centers such as the Stephen Klein Wellness Center, there are more and more professional options for care available to the homeless of Philadelphia. Thus, our role in the community has also changed, from the role of the Primary Care Provider to the role of patient advocates, helping connect those who have fallen through the cracks of the healthcare system back to the professional medical care that best fits their needs. While we are still adjusting to this new role, it can be seen at work in some basic tenets of the JeffHOPE mission:
- We offer acute care only! While we may diagnose chronic conditions (such as hypertension, Diabetes or HIV/Hepatitis C), we refer those patients to long-term care and help them address any barriers they have to seeking that care instead of trying to manage these very serious and life-long illnesses ourselves.
- We under no circumstances prescribe or manage psychiatric medications.
- We under no circumstances prescribe or manage narcotic medications.
- We practice and teach the philosophy of harm reduction — whatever activities our patients are engaged in, we make sure they have the education and resources to be as safe as possible
