The Free Access Health Clinic officially opened in April but was years in the making, says Waqar Waheed, M.B.B.S., professor of neurological sciences at the Larner College of Medicine and a neurologist at the University of Vermont Medical Center, who is one of the clinic’s founding members.
Offering free doctor’s appointments at the mosque every Saturday will not solve the systemic problems that plague health care, Waheed acknowledged. Still, it’s a meaningful way to reduce barriers for those who are uninsured or can’t afford the costs, even with insurance. And as the only clinic of its kind in the most populous county in Vermont—the state with the highest health insurance premiums in the country—it is meeting a critical need. Not only can patients find primary care doctors there, they can also schedule visits with a rotating roster of specialists, including dermatologists and cardiologists.
Patients are cared for by a team of nearly 50 volunteers—including doctors, a practice manager, medical assistants, triage nurses, and front-desk workers. The clinic has treated around 200 people since it opened last spring. As health care costs rise and federal Affordable Care Act subsidies have evaporated, Dr. Waheed and the clinic’s new president, family physician Umair Malik, M.D., are expecting an even busier second year.
A banner on one side of Bennett’s desk is the first thing anyone sees when entering the clinic. Printed on a photograph of a person gazing at a fiery sunset is a quote by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) that reads, in part: “It is not utopian thinking to say that every man, woman, and child should have access to health care as a right.”