A Shoo-in for Quality Healthcare

Hi there, thanks for reading my very first blog entry. As the resident Clinic grantwriter, I’d be remiss if I didn’t take the opportunity to briefly highlight the good work of our Free Medical Clinic.

Did you know that the Clinic is one of San Francisco’s oldest and largest free clinics? Or that we provide comprehensive primary and urgent care, mental health treatment, pediatric care, and a range of specialty and ancillary care, serving about 3,500 uninsured poor and homeless patients each year?

It’s true. And this includes services you might not think of, like podiatry. For our neighbors who rely mostly on their feet to get around, foot care is a vital concern. Most Tenderloin residents (82%) don’t have access to a car. People living in severe poverty have limited means for quality footwear or fresh socks. Unforgiving concrete sidewalks can take their toll on people’s feet.

The Clinic is the sole provider of free podiatric care in the neighborhood. Our staff podiatrist, Dr. Mario Rizzo, has been healing patients in the Clinic for almost 30 years. Each week, he goes toe to toe with patients’ foot problems to help them get back on their feet. And he’s never shooed away a patient for lack of health insurance.