Volunteer Healthcare Clinic

About The Clinic

Purpose

The Volunteer Healthcare Clinic (VHC) is the medical safety net for many Austinites who are low-income and medically uninsured. The Clinic provides free healthcare to children and adults who have no other source for this care. VHC is a unique medical community partnership. Clinic services are provided by 400 volunteers and minimal full-time paid staff. Our base of volunteers includes physicians, specialists, nurse practitioners, physicians’ assistants, nurses, pharmacists, phlebotomists, dietitians, interpreters, and support staff. In addition to this core of volunteers, through our many community collaborations we are able to provide laboratory testing, radiological testing, and specialty care.

History

In the late 1960’s a group of concerned community-spirited women worked to find a solution to the problem of finding medical care for those in desperate need of healthcare but not covered by insurance or other health plans. These determined women encouraged physicians to donate services in their private offices. As this system grew and evolved the Clinic eventually secured its own operating space and these volunteers began coming on-site to provide this care. Through the years the Clinic has been housed in several places and has been known by several names, most notably Caritas Clinic. In 1996 the Clinic moved to its current location and took on the name Volunteer Healthcare Clinic.

Community Recognition

In 2007, Volunteer Healthcare Clinic won the Governor's Community Motivator award. This is a state-wide award that is presented through the OneStar Foundation, recognizing an individual or group for outstanding service and volunteerism. VHC was recognized for a "strong ethic of service, a pure compassion for people, and an inspirational nature to motivate those around them to serve."