By: Jennifer DePaul

Until an affordable public health care option is offered, many young Americans remain uninsured and unable to pay the high cost of healthcare insurance. As youth scramble to find alternative healthcare options and steer clear of the doctor’s office, there is one option many may not be aware of—free/low-cost/sliding scale walk-in clinics.

There are 8,692 such clinics nationwide and approximately 4,000 more unaccounted for, according to the non-profit NeedyMeds. The organization which started in 1997 has an online database that provides a list of state and federal government sponsored clinics.

The National Association of Free Clinics, a non-profit organization, defines free clinics as ones that are volunteer-based, safety-net health care organizations that provide a range of medical, dental, pharmacy, and/or behavioral health services to economically disadvantaged individuals who are predominately uninsured.

“These clinics offer a range of services from basic and specialty care to a full spectrum of healthcare services,” said NeedyMeds President, Richard Sagall. A clinic’s volunteer base is often an indicator of the services provided.

Sagall said the demand for free clinics is growing. Some have been established for decades while others don’t survive more than one year. He said it’s hard to monitor the status of all of the clinics, but during the difficult economic period many are closing because of a lack of funding.

Most of the clinics are independently run and dedicate themselves to providing free or lost cost healthcare services.

“Others can be found in churches or existing hospitals where they are a training site for students,” Sagall said. Predominantly these free walk-in clinics are found in lower income areas of a city, he said.