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Frequently Asked Questions
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1. What is the Volunteers in Medicine Free medical clinic?
Volunteers in Medicine is a free medical clinic for individuals residing in Monroe and Owen Counties who are without health insurance or the economic means to pay for health care. In Monroe and Owen Counties, nearly 17,000 individuals are without any type of health insurance.
This clinic is modeled after a national program with a history of success in other communities around the country. A group of retired medical professionals in Hilton Head, South Carolina established the first Volunteers in Medicine clinic in 1993. Today, the Vermont-based Volunteers in Medicine Institute helps new community clinics based on the Volunteers in Medicine model get started.
2. Who operates the clinic?
The free medical clinic is community-operated, community-owned, and community-financed. To be successful, the clinic will require a strong partnership with Bloomington Hospital, a volunteer staff including both medical professionals and lay volunteers, and the financial support of the community.
3. Who established this Volunteers in Medicine clinic?
Members of the local community, hand-in-hand with prominent members of the medical establishment, have established the free medical clinic to serve Monroe and Owen counties.
4. How is Bloomington Hospital involved in the Volunteers in Medicine Clinic?
Bloomington Hospital, which has long been a provider of non-profit healthcare services to the medically underserved, including its commitment to the Community Health Access Program (CHAP) clinic, is a major partner in the Volunteers in Medicine clinic. The Volunteers in Medicine clinic is housed in the space where the CHAP clinic used to be. In addition, the hospital provides at no charge clinical staff, diagnostic testing (laboratory, radiology, cardiac, and others) and inpatient services when needed.
5. What types of volunteers are needed at the free clinic?
Nearly 200 medical professionals have expressed willingness to volunteer at the clinic—but additional help is needed. Volunteers in Medicine clinics rely on donated time from both retired and active physicians and nurses, as well as volunteers from the community to provide administrative support.
Volunteer roles include:
- Physicians, dentists and pharmacists
- Nurse practitioners and nurses
- Social workers and psychologists
- Patient educators
- Dietitians, Wllness and Fitness Instructors
- Administrative and operational support.
6. How many other cities have Volunteers in Medicine clinics?
The first Volunteers in Medicine clinic, established in Hilton Health, South Carolina in 1993, has served as a model for some 50 additional clinics in cities across the United States, including Columbus and Indianapolis, Indiana.
7. Where is the Volunteers in Medicine clinic located?
333 E. Miller Drive in Bloomington.
8. Who is eligible for care at the Volunteers in Medicine free medical clinic?
Individuals who:
- Reside in Monroe or Owen County
- Earn income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level
- Do not have health insurance.
Children of adults who qualify for care at the Volunteers in Medicine clinic will be referred to Southern Indiana Pediatrics for free care.
9. What does 200% of the federal poverty level mean?
The United States Department of Health and Human Services establishes the federal poverty level. The Volunteers in Medicine free medical clinic serves adults who earn at or below 200% of this level, which translates for the year 2008 to the following:
| Persons in Household |
Household Income |
| 1 |
$20,800 |
| 2 |
$28,000 |
| 3 |
$35,200 |
| 4 |
$42,400 |
| 5 |
$49,600 |
| 6 |
$56,800 |
| 7 |
$64,000 |
| 8 |
$71,200 |
For each additional person, add: $7,200
10. What are the clinic’s hours of operation?
Monday and Thursday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Walk-in hours are everyday, 8-10:30 a.m., 1-2:30 p.m.
11. What free services will be provided at the clinic?
- Primary and preventive care for both chronic and acute illnesses
- Health education
- Medications for acute and chronic illnesses with only a low-cost handling fee
- Psychological counseling
- Diagnostic laboratory and radiology testing at Bloomington Hospital
- Dental care (initial evaluation at the clinic, referrals to the offices of participating dentists)
12. How is Volunteers in Medicine clinic financed?
Tax-deductible community contributions, grants, gifts-in-kind and an endowment.
13. How are donations made to the Volunteers in Medicine clinic?
Tax-deductible contributions can be made in two ways: a designated gift to the Volunteers in Medicine Fund and/or a gift to the clinic’s endowment.
For more information, see the Donate page
14. Can children receive care at the Volunteers in Medicine clinic?
Children of adults who qualify for care at the Volunteers in Medicine clinic will be referred to Southern Indiana Pediatrics for free care.
15. Will the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) nutrition program, Home Health and Positive Link program still be located at 333 E. Miller Drive?
Yes. |
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