by Callahan Clark, PNC student practitioner

Located in the basement of St. Paul”'s Evangelical Lutheran Church (2742 15^th Ave. S.)d, The Phillips Neighborhood Clinic (PNC) is a free clinic run by health professional students from the University of Minnesota under the supervision of licensed clinicians. PNC provides free care to anyone who walks in the doors regardless of their status of insurance , citizenship or finances. There are student interpreters in clinic and on-call each night; no appointments needed. The clinic is open year-round on Mondays and Thursdays from 6 ”“ 9 pm.

The PNC serves as a learning space for students studying pharmacy, medicine, nutrition, physical therapy, dentistry, nursing, social work, medical lab sciences, and healthcare administration. It allows students to apply their patient-centered care knowledge as members of an inter-professional care team and serve the three- PNC mission:

1) We will develop compassionate, culturally competent future health professionals in an inter-professional, team-based learning environment.

2) We will support community partnerships and promote overall health and wellbeing in the communities we serve.

3) We will increase accessibility of comprehensive, patient-centered, quality health services to patients with unmet needs.

Student practitioners learn that ”˜health”' is not defined solely in terms of medical care. It is a multifaceted state impacted by one”'s social support and cohesion, spiritual, financial, emotional, and community well-being. As a part of the Backyard Initiative (BYI), the PNC focuses on providing activities that address the BYI”'s objectives of health education and health empowerment. The PNC is involved in activities that extend beyond clinic nights that are open to anyone at no cost. In collaboration with law students from the U of M, the PNC hosts legal workshops to assist people as with wills and advanced care directives and provide advice on immigration topics and renters”' rights. This year, the PNC has a new initiative called Move N Eat. Clinic volunteers host exercise and cooking classes, with all supplies provided free of charge. Parents who wish to participate can bring their children as childcare is provided.

You can also find PNC volunteers out and about in the Phillips Community, partnering with various local organizations to promote community well-being. For example, students at the PNC spend time at the BYI Resource center located in the Midtown Global Market, answering health-related questions and providing information on topics like blood pressure, heart health, and healthy diets. PNC clinic volunteers spend time doing: diabetes education with A Partnership of Diabetics (APOD); tutoring K-12 students and adults working on ESL/GED programs at the Franklin and Hosmer Libraries; and talking about health and wellness at the Golden Eagle Youth After School Program. Clinic volunteers serve food at Loaves and Fishes locations, deliver meals to people living with chronic illnesses through the Open Arms program, and play games and tutor elementary children at the Sabathani after-school program. If you happen to run into a friendly face in a PNC T-shirt at any one of these activities, introduce yourself and say hello. PNC volunteers love to meet local residents and learn more about the community.

The PNC is always searching for new ways address unmet needs in the Phillips Neighborhood. If you have an idea to share or would like to collaborate with the clinic, email Callahan at pncchatassociate@gmail.com.

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