Grad students open free clinic

The University's professional school students spend their days -- and often a large portion of their nights -- preparing for future careers. But some professional students have decided to take time out of their busy schedules to give something back to the West Philadelphia community. The United Community Clinics, a student-run organization of students from the Dental, Law, Medical, Nursing, Social Work and Veterinary schools, last month opened a brand-new community clinic. The student members provide free services from their various disciplines at the clinic, which is open every Monday night from 6 to 8 p.m. at the First African Presbyterian Church on 42nd Street and Girard Avenue. Two medical students began the program in July 1995, but it soon expanded to become a collaboration between students from six of the University's professional schools, said founding Co-Chairperson and third-year Medical student Eric Fleegler. The group's first task was to find a site for the clinic. The Rev. Henry Pinckney, of First African Presbyterian, said he immediately threw his support behind the clinic last year, hoping to offer his church as its home. "We started laboring to make this happen," he said. Pinckney explained that even though his governing board approved the project, the church's attorney required legal documentation that "slowed the process down." But co-founder David Etzioni, a second-year Medical student, said even during this waiting time, the founding students "built teamwork between the schools involved." They also began to determine which services were most appropriate for the community with whom they would be working, after holding meetings with community members to get a feel for their needs. Once the legal issues were settled, the students were able to open the clinic almost immediately. "I think we're off to a really strong start," said third-year Law student Todd Rosenberg, adding that the UCC hopes to attract new clients as more people learn of the project. Fleegler said 55 people have visited the clinic already, many of whom have used more than one of the services offered. Silja Haagenson, who graduated from the Nursing School's undergraduate program last year, is continuing her work with the project she helped to begin. She noted that one of the UCC's advantages is that a person may come to the clinic for a specific reason, but may decide to also use the clinic's other services. "This is a good resource for people in the community," Rosenberg said. He explained that the clinic has also been beneficial to the participating students, who have an opportunity for "working with clients [and] responding to their needs." Haagenson pointed out that the members have also benefited from working with each other. "A lot of us from the different schools have just learned so much from each other -- how the other disciplines operate, how the others think," said Haagenson. The students involved with the clinic now hope to expand it to include more services from the schools already participating. Haagenson explained that they like to refer to the UCC as an "endeavor" rather than a "project." "Project sounds like it has an ending to it," she said. Most of the funding for the clinic will come from the Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church and the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly.

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