BERKELEY FREE CLINIC

On the Internet!

Quick Introduction

Berkeley Free Clinic {Berkeley Community Health Project} was founded in 1969 by a group of activists in response to unmet health care and other needs, in the absence of appropriate state and federal programs and services. Our motto is "Health Care for People, Not Profit" and we look toward the ideal of health care as a right, not a privilege.
With this vision in mind, the clinic has provided free health care for the local community, offering services from peer counseling to anonymous HIV testing. Other services include: men's STD clinic, women's health clinic, dental care, referral services, and a variety of general medical concerns. Please scan through the remainder of this site to find out more about us and each of our services.

Philosophy and Purpose of the Berkeley Free Clinic

Directions to the BFC (Includes Map)

Information and Referral Services

(510) 548-2570 or (800) 6-CLINIC

Monday	3:30PM - 9:00PM
Tuesday	3:30PM - 9:00PM
Wednesday	3:30PM - 9:00PM
Thursday	3:30PM - 9:00PM
Friday	3:30PM - 8:30PM
Saturdays
Sunday	4:00-7:00PM

In addition to the BFC services, referrals (primarily in the East Bay) are available for a wide range of concerns including health, HIV and AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, shelter, addiction, counseling, legal issues, and other referral agencies. The focus is on advocacy, personal empowerment, and the use of referrals appropriate to the clients' needs and resources. To find out more about the Information Resource Center of the Berkeley Free Clinic, please click on the underlined text (not yet available).

Another on-line referral service, accessible in the 510 area code 24 hours by modem at 845-0695, 845-0583, and 845-0508 and by voice during certain hours at 540-0666, is the Berkeley Information Network, a service provided by the Berkeley Public Library. This is mentioned just in case you need referral information now --that service isn't anything we can take credit for.

Medical Services

(510) 548-4811 or (800) 6-CLINIC

Volunteer community health workers trained at the Berkeley Free Clinic, together with volunteer medical professionals from the community, provide limited acute, out-patient primary care services. General medical appointments are held on weeknights and start at 7:00PM, usually lasting one to one and a half hours. Please call at 5:45 PM to arrange a same-evening appointment.

HIV ("AIDS") Testing Services

(510) 644-0425

The HIV Prevention Services Collective of the Berkeley Free Clinic offers anonymous testing for the antibody to the HIV-1 virus, with results available in one week. This service, of course, is free. It is offered on a drop-in basis for both men and women on Sunday evenings between 5 and 7 PM. We are also starting, beginning June of 1997, a women's only HIV anonymous testing services on Saturday afternoons between noon and 2PM, on the same basis. Because the tests are anonymous, you must hold on to your printed test number when you return for the results. For more detailed and current information, please call the listed number.To find out more about the HPS Collective, please follow the above hyperlink.

GMHC

(510) 644-0425

The Gay Men's Health Collective at the Berkeley Free Clinic provides a drop-in STD ("Sexually Transmitted Disease") clinic for men that offers both symptomatic and routine testing and treatment. The clinic is available Sunday evenings from 5 to 7PM. For more information, please call the listed number. To find out more about the GMHC, please follow the above hyperlink.

Dental Services

(510) 548-2745

The dental section of BFC offers the only totally free dental clinic in Northern California, providing simple extractions and fillings (and sometimes cleaning) for adults without charge or eligibility limitations. This service does intake on a drop-in lottery basis, currently 3 afternoons per week as of May 1997. Please call the listed number for more detailed and current information.

Peer Counseling Services

(510) 548-2744

On Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, registration is accepted at 6:45 PM for the drop-in peer-counseling service. This free, confidential service is provided by lay volunteers trained in active listening skills, and as such is NOT an appropriate resource if you want to get your prescription renewed: this is the basic, short-term "talking therapy" approach. Ongoing scheduled individual counseling may be set up through drop-ins. Please call the Peer Counseling Collective for more information.

Related Links

Compilation of useful sites.

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HTML on this page was written by Paul Shen. Please send comments, questions, and criticisms to bfc@lanminds.com and specify Paul Shen somewhere in your subject heading. Thank you.