Starting Your Own Clinic

Leadership, community organization, needs assessment, organizational development and delivery of medical services are areas each community or individual must understand and possess in order to successfully launch and sustain a free clinic.

Establishing a free health clinic requires that you first find others in your community who share your vision and have the skills and staying power to start a clinic. Such an effort is not a walk in the park!

The VIM Institute (VIMI) is dedicated to assisting individuals, groups and local communities in starting free clinics for people who don't have access to health care. We do this by providing on-site consultation in local communities during all phases of project development, especially planning and start-up.

Our experience tells us that relying solely on a written guide for starting a clinic is insufficient for most communities to build a service that is sustainable and responsive to need. That's why we've built a special online community where clinic staff can ask questions, give and receive advice, and share ideas with VIM Clinics across the country.

Before you contact us about starting a VIM clinic in your community, ask yourself these questions:

• Is there a genuine need for a free clinic in your community?
  
  
• Are others concerned about those without access to health care, and will they insist on such a service being developed?
  
  
• Does the medical community share your concern?
  
  
• Would retired people, both medical and non-medical, be willing to volunteer in the clinic?

If you can answer these questions and you're not daunted by the challenge, contact us. We would be honored to help you start your own clinic.