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How to Get Care

Alert

If you have an urgent medical need please call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room.

Becoming a UCSD Student-Run Free Clinic Patient

The SRFCP will continue to be a place that welcomes and cares for low-income, uninsured individuals in San Diego with unmet healthcare needs.  While the number of uninsured San Diegans has decreased since 2022 due to improvements in access to Medi-Cal, there continue to be individuals who are not connected to insurance and are in need of services.  


The majority of the uninsured in San Diego are people who:

  • don’t want to apply for Medi-Cal (trust, concern about applying for a government-sponsored program)
  • have not yet applied (new to California or didn’t know about Medi-Cal expansion) or have a lapse in coverage (did not renew in time) but have an immediate medical need
  • make too much money to qualify for Medi-Cal but not enough to afford private/subsidized insurance like Covered California
  • are missing required documents necessary to apply (like an ID)

 

We are excited to accept new patients who meet our eligibility criteria as defined below. 

To be eligible for consideration as a new patient, you must be:

  • Uninsured 
  • Low income up to 400% FPL (https://www.coveredca.com/pdfs/FPL-chart.pdf)
  • In need of medical care that the SRFCP can provide.  Of note, the SRFCP is able to evaluate and treat diabetes, high blood pressure, depression and other common concerns but does not have the ability to provide some services such as dialysis, cancer treatment, prescriptions for controlled substances, disability evaluations, pregnancy care etc.

If you meet the eligibility criteria, please arrive at one of the locations listed below at the start of the clinic.  
  • Monday evenings at 5:30 pm at 1420 Third Avenue at First Lutheran Church, 92101
  • Tuesday afternoons at 1pm at 3295 Meade Avenue at Christ Ministry Center, 92116
  • Wednesday evenings at 5:30pm at 1561 Thomas Avenue at Pacific Beach United Methodist Church, 92109


When you arrive, you will meet with our social worker to complete the screening process and we will determine if we will be able to see you as a new patient.  Of note, our clinic is “student-run” which means student volunteers, with supervision by licensed clinicians, are involved in all aspects of our medical, dental and pharmacy services.  A typical visit lasts 3-4 hours and you must be willing to stay for the duration of the visit.


We would love to help as many people as we are able and are actively looking for referrals and partnerships through affiliations and organizations as well.

 

Clinic Locations

Call 211

2-1-1 is a comprehensive online and telephone directory of healthcare clinics and programs throughout San Diego. For resources dial 2-1-1 from any phone to speak with a 2-1-1 representative (available in Spanish).

Dental Care

UCSD Student-Run Free Dental Clinic

Dental patients in need can review the UCSD Student-Run Free Dental Clinic website for a list of low income clinics or contact them at office@ucsdpds.org