Operating a Student-Run Free Clinic with Direct Patient Care During a Pandemic

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many student-run free clinics were forced to close due to safety concerns. The novelty of this pandemic left many similarly modeled clinics, including ours, without a template for efficacious and safe reopening. We present our reopening procedure, developed and piloted within our clinic in a span of nine months, for similar clinics to model. The executive board of JayDoc Free clinic worked through the summer of 2020 to develop and pilot a safe and effective re-opening procedure for similar clinical models. The JayDoc Free Clinic is a fully volunteer operated, student-run free clinic that provides quality healthcare to the underserved population within Greater Kansas City, while creating invaluable opportunities for students at the University of Kansas to enhance their education. The materials created in this time period include: a guide outlining the re-opening process, a clinic COVID-19 safety training module, an N-95 training module, a 3-phase re-opening protocol, a needs assessment screening survey for patients, and a digital clinic tracker that promotes physical distancing. Those materials developed are being made available with this submission.