HOPES Free Clinic
In 2011, medical students at EVMS recognized a growing need for healthcare within the uninsured population in Norfolk and responded by establishing a student-run free clinic, HOPES (Health Outreach Partnership of EVMS Students), to improve the quality of life in the community by providing primary and specialty medical care.
As the only free clinic in Norfolk and the first student-run free clinic in Virginia, HOPES has served more than 1,000 uninsured adult residents with its capacity to provide care to 20-25 patients during two evening clinics per week. The clinic is staffed by volunteer student clinicians, residents, and physicians, who work together to provide patient-centered care.
HOPES Hours
- Thursday evenings from 6 to 9:30 PM.
- Specialty care is offered on select Wednesday evenings from 6 to 9:30 PM.
To join the patient waitlist, call 757-709-9797.
Location
Norfolk Department of Public Health Building
830 Southampton Ave.
Norfolk, VA 23510
For additional details on HOPES, you can download the handout: HERE
Why HOPES?
Getting Started at HOPES
Students can register for Front Desk, IT, and Vitals Assistant roles without any prior training. Junior Clinician/Scribe positions are open to all Medical and Physician Assistant Students in the preclinical phase. Senior Clinician positions are open to all Medical and Physician Assistant Students who have started rotations or received a passing score on Step 1.
All students can participate in HOPES events, teams, and leadership roles whether they are assigned to HOPES or not.
Logging Your Hours
Students can register for shifts at HOPES and log their hours on the EVMS Engage platform.
Note About Language Services
We are excited by the breadth of languages that our students and community volunteers either speak or have interest in. However, students and volunteers may not act as ad hoc interpreters while participating in CEL activities, as there are certain qualifications required to be an interpreter in a healthcare setting. Students who have a Community Interpreter Certificate or are Nationally Certified Interpreters should always discuss with CEL whether they may act as an interpreter at a site BEFORE participating in a pre-approved CEL activity. Students who wish to offer their services as interpreters in the community do so at their own risk and may not hold themselves out as doing so on behalf of our medical school.
Whether or not a bilingual student may be a “Spanish Medical Interpreter” at an Community-Engaged Learning site is based on a multitude of factors including the activity and the student’s level of Spanish medical interpretation experience. Currently, Spanish language services are only available as part of the initiatives outlined below and in accordance with the guidance provided:
- HOPES/ Clínica Esperanza
- Medical Spanish
Finally, be aware that while individuals use the words “interpreter” and “translator” interchangeably, they are very different activities. Interpreters speak orally while translators work with written materials.
If you have additional questions, please contact Community-Engaged Learning at CommunityEngagedLearning@EVMS.edu.
"Working with the HOPES student-run free clinic restores the joy in medicine. The students do all the documentation; I just get the fun of treating patients and watching students pick up on clinic findings and develop diagnoses. It's just a lot of fun!"
– Dr. Bruce Britton, Family Medicine
How do I become a HOPES Volunteer Provider
Attending and resident physicians mentor and assist Macon and Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University students in providing healthcare at HOPES during evening clinic shifts from 6-9:30 p.m.
Providers across numerous specialties currently volunteer at HOPES and have the flexibility to choose a schedule that suits their availability.
To become a HOPES provider, please fill out the application form.
If you have additional questions, please contact Community-Engaged Learning at CommunityEngagedLearning@EVMS.edu