Jefferson County Health Department

1541 Annex Road, Jefferson, WI 53549

920-674-7275

2010 Opportunity for an Unpaid Graduate Student Intern

Rock River Free Clinic Project

The Rock River Free Clinic opened to patients in March of 2002. Eight years later the clinic continues to see 35 to 50 patients every Thursday night utilizing all volunteer staff. This includes: Physicians, Physician Assistants, Nurse Practitioners, Registered Dietitians, Pharmacists, Pharmacy Technicians, Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, Nurse Assistants, Social Workers, Interpreters, Laboratory Technicians, Clerical Support and Greeters. Patients are seen according to need, and there are no appointments; it is a walk-in clinic. The clinic is located in the Jefferson County Health Department clinic area, and the County provides the space, maintenance, and telephone. Jefferson County Health Department staff members assist with referrals or follow-up on critical lab results.

Due to changes in volunteers available and the need to look at expanding clinic capacity, there needs to be an evaluation of current clinic status and possible future clinic models.

The entire scope of the project is listed below. The starred (*) items are what needs to be accomplished first. Rock River Free Clinic is open to working with one or more students, and the time line is flexible. The student/students would report to Gail Scott, Director/Health Officer, Jefferson County Health Department, with Barb Dehnert, Administrative Assistant/Office Manager as back-up.

1.  Evaluate current clinic model including:

*Services delivered

*Funding

*Staffing

Follow-Up

Documentation

Data

Patient Outcomes

Coordination with other services in the community

2.  Explore other Free Clinic models using

*Telephone or E-mail Contacts

Alternative methods, such as a survey

On-site visits

3.  Explore alternate clinic models for Rock River Free Clinic

Current model

Volunteer staff with Nurse Practitioner

*Volunteer staff with hired Nurse Practitioner

Volunteer staff with hired Nurse Practitioner and possibly other staff

Assist in developing position descriptions of paid staff and volunteers

Other

4.  Investigate alternate sources of funding

Donations

Donations plus County contribution

Grants

*Federal funding

*Federally Qualified Health Care Center (FQHC)

Expand to take Medical Assistance

5.  Present findings to the Rock River Free Clinic Board of Directors