The University of Connecticut Medical Clinic Club will host its annual free medical clinic on March 7 and 8 starting at 6 a.m. at the Windham Senior Center.
Cameron Costa, an eighth-semester physiology and neurobiology major, is the president of and a community host group lead for the Medical Clinic Club.
“The Medical Clinic Club is an undergraduate student organization dedicated to improving access and affordability of healthcare in Windham County and surrounding regions,” Costa said in an email.
The club partners with Remote Area Medical (RAM), a Tennessee-based nonprofit organization that provides free medical, dental and vision care through mobile clinics across the country, Costa wrote in an email.
The free clinic requires no identification and is open to anyone, free of charge, he said in an email.
The clinic will close once it reaches capacity each day, Costa said in an email.
According to Costa, some services provided by the clinic include consultations with primary care providers to discuss health concerns, dental cleanings, cavity fillings, and tooth extractions and comprehensive eye exams and, if indicated, custom-made prescription glasses provided on-site.
While follow-up care is not guaranteed to be free, the clinic will provide information on local healthcare offices accepting new patients, according to Costa. If a provider at the clinic recommends follow-up care, the team will assist patients in connecting with the appropriate resources.
The clinic aims to target the Windham community, Costa said.
“Windham County is especially a very high need population,” Costa said.
The county has one of the highest percentages of people living below the poverty line and very high rates of food insecurity, Costa said.
The club starts planning the free clinic during the fall semester through gathering volunteers, reaching out to donators and recruiting the clinic, Costa said.
“Usually, we have about 400 volunteers across the three days,” Costa said.
He said he advises students to join the organization on UConntact if they want to get involved. The organization made a flyer to help students who want to volunteer.
The organization requires students to pay dues that help with transportation costs, meals and a free t-shirt, he said.
“We have about a $20,000 operating budget each year, and we fundraise all that money ourselves,” Costa said.
He said the free clinic aims to help all in the community.
“The goal is just sort of see as many people as we can,” Costa said.
The club started hosting free clinics in 2024 and in that year they were able to help 212 patients and provided $150,000 in free medical care, Costa said.
Last year they were able to help 196 patients and provided $142,000 in free care, he said.
In the past, the clinic has been held at Windham Middle School, but the club changed the location to be more accessible to people who don’t have means of transportation, Costa said.
The club hosts different general information events throughout the semester, all leading up to the clinic in March, he said.
After this free clinic, the organization will be transitioning the club into a nonprofit, Costa said.