Please read carefully the following Clearwater Free Clinic Patient Guidelines. This is very important. If you do not follow these guidelines, you may be dismissed from the Clinic.
There is no set fee for Clinic services, however your donations are vital to the continuation of our services. Please make Clinic donations a priority in your budget!
Patient Responsibilities:
- Be On Time -- Please come 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment so that we can process the necessary paperwork. If you arrive more than 15 minutes late you may lose your appointment time.
- Be Patient -- There are times when the Clinic may be short on volunteers or the doctors may run behind schedule. Please arrange your schedule accordingly. This applies to both appointments and pharmacy refills.
- Be Courteous -- The physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and clerks are not paid staff. They volunteer their time to help you. Absolutely NO VERBAL ABUSE. Verbal abuse will not be tolerated and you will be immediately dismissed as a Clinic patient.
- Keep Scheduled Appointments -- or call to cancel. Any cancellation less than 2 hours before your appointment time will be considered a NO SHOW. Three NO SHOWS may result in dismissal as a Clinic patient.
- Supply Necessary Documentation -- We may ask for verification of your income, residence, or U.S. citizenship at any time while you are a Clinic patient. Please provide the requested information in a timely manner.
- Follow Doctors' Instructions:
- Take all medications prescribed for you on schedule. We will make every effort to provide you with your medications. Not taking your medications or not following your medical plan may result in dismissal from the Clinic.
- Get medication refills before you run out. Due to limited Clinic hours, please come in one week prior to running out.
- Keep all scheduled referral appointments (for specialists, tests, X-rays, procedures, etc.). These appointments cannot be rescheduled if you miss them.
Clinic Responsibilities:
- We will make every effort to provide you with the medications you require. In the event that we do not have your medication, we will give you a prescription to take to a local pharmacy. Payment for prescriptions filled elsewhere is your responsibility.
- We will make referral appointments for you for specialist visits, tests, procedures, etc. If the service is not available, we will try to provide you with other alternatives.
- If the Clinic directors and practitioners determine that your health issues are beyond the scope of what the Clinic can safely provide, we will help you make other arrangements for your health care.
Clinic staff may refuse care to those who do not comply
with these guidelines or who are disruptive to our operations.