Health professionals in the San Francisco area are coming out of retirement to run a new clinic dedicated to treating low-income residents with pressing health needs.
Many experiments to provide low-cost community health care have cropped up across the country, including clinics sponsored by medical schools and federally-supported clinics.
Clinic by the Bay, located in San Francisco, is set apart by its unique model: a center run primarily by former doctors, nurses and therapists who have given up retirement to volunteer their time to the under-served.
SF Gate reports that Clinic by the Bay is Northern California's first to be associated with Volunteers in Medicine, an organization founded 16 years ago that recruits retired health professionals to assist needy communities.
The center aims to serve a specific demographic -- uninsured residents of Excelsior, Outer Mission and Daly City who don't qualify for government programs.
Barbara Quinn, a 72-year-old registered nurse, tells SF Gate the endeavor is a win-win for both patients and healthcare professionals:
"People who are our age want to work in a field in which we're comfortable and can contribute. Today's retirees don't want to seal envelopes."
Find ways to contribute to similar organizations across the country by visiting the Volunteers in Medicine site.