Agenda 2025

Agenda Highlights

Below is a sampling of the 2025 symposium breakout sessions.

A full agenda with additional sessions and speaker information is coming soon!

Ask Anything: The Free and Charitable Addition!              

Do you come to the Symposium with a list of questions for other clinic leaders? Have you ever wondered if you are the only one facing a certain challenge? Do you have questions you’d prefer not to ask in a session but really want the answer? We’ve been there, and this session is for you! We’ll create a supportive, high-energy, knowledge-sharing space in which attendees submit questions anonymously. With over 25 years of health care experience between us, we’ll offer our experience on topics ranging from fundraising, board development, strategic planning, staffing, clinical protocols, volunteer recruitment, general operations, and finance. No topic is off limits. We invite attendees to offer their expertise as well. Collaboration is how we thrive!

Creating a Non-Profit Board Culture           

How do you create a non-profit board that is collegial, supportive, educated, and willing to challenge the CEO to be their best?  How do you maintain that continuity through changing officers and board members?  This session will focus in on best practices related to creating a positive and dynamic board culture.

The Imperative Role of Undergraduate and Medical Students in Free Clinic Settings:  A Model for Clinic Organization and Workforce Development                

Using the Mobile Clinic Project as a model, free clinics across the nation can incorporate student education and involvement opportunities into their workforce development models. The importance of student involvement in free clinic and community medicine settings is threefold: 1) the reduction of medical mistrust and patient-provider barriers through the introduction of an accompaniment-based care model, 2) the establishment of a robust, diverse clinic workforce for optimal efficacy and efficiency of care, and 3) the sensitization and education of future health professionals through early career exposure to trauma-informed care practices.

Rx for Change: How Pharmacist-Led Care is Transforming Chronic Disease Management in Free Clinics

Access to affordable medications and comprehensive chronic disease management remains a critical challenge in free and charitable clinics. This session will explore how pharmacist-led interventions are transforming care delivery, particularly for diabetes and other chronic conditions, by improving medication access, adherence, and patient outcomes.

Through real-world data and case studies, attendees will learn how collaborative practice agreements, strategic medication procurement, and patient education can enhance healthcare equity. Solutions discussed will include leveraging free medication programs, implementing clinical pharmacist-driven care models, and utilizing innovative funding strategies to sustain these initiatives.

Participants will gain actionable insights into how pharmacists can bridge gaps in care, reduce healthcare utilization costs, and improve long-term health outcomes for underserved populations. This session is ideal for healthcare providers, clinic administrators, and policymakers seeking scalable, pharmacist-driven solutions to enhance patient care in resource-limited settings.

Adding Behavioral Health Services to a Year-Old Free Clinic 

The session will discuss how Compassionate Care was able to serve over 1,700 patients in its first year of operation and how it has acquired and managed the resources to expand via the creation of a behavioral health subunit.  The session will discuss the structure, mechanics, and funding of our clinic with an emphasis on our new behavioral health unit.

Building Blocks to Double Fundraising Results 

Does your community need more from you?  Do you have the resources necessary to meet the needs?  Could more donations help?  Community Volunteers in Medicine (CVIM) in West Chester, PA, just completed a successful fundraising campaign, doubling fundraising results over three years.  Come hear their story and discuss the building blocks for successful fundraising that pave the way for growth.

Tech-Powered Solutions: Expanding Equitable Health Access and Driving Better Outcomes

Expanding healthcare access while improving outcomes is a challenge for free and charitable clinics, but technology offers transformative solutions at minimal cost. Barriers such as time, work, transportation, language, and childcare often hinder patients’ access to healthcare. Lackey Clinic provides free, 24/7 virtual urgent care access to Virginia residents by leveraging Fabric Health’s asynchronous platform to meet patients where they are, at home or work.

Additionally, we have enhanced patient engagement and achieved measurable health improvements through Generated Health’s Florence intelligent texting program. Florence utilizes automated, text-based clinical conversations using standardized protocols for managing hypertension, diabetes, prediabetes, and lifestyle changes.

These innovations empower patients to take charge of their health while enabling clinicians to deliver effective, scalable support. This session will share practical insights into implementing these tools to drive equitable health access and improved outcomes for underserved populations.

A Framework for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Assessment in a Student-Run Free Clinic              

A challenge of health equity work is the paucity of frameworks to guide and evaluate organizations, especially in environments like Free Clinics. Without a clear framework, attaining DEI metrics may lack the specificity and depth for meaningful impact. We describe a systems-level tool that can be used to identify the praxis of DEI in Student-Run Free Clinics (SRFCs). Surveys from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, “Race Matters: Organizational Self-Assessment” and the ABLe Change “Equity Organization Self-Assessment” were adapted for use in our SRFC setting. Results illuminated DEI-related strengths and opportunities in our SRFC. The specificity of the questions highlights areas for future DEI efforts. This tool can potentially serve as an activity to transform these efforts from abstract goals into measurable outcomes, driving health equity in a more targeted and effective manner.

Building a Resilient Nonprofit: Effective Management, Strong Governance, and Strategic Growth           

Nonprofit clinics face ongoing challenges in sustainability, governance, and long-term planning while striving to meet growing patient needs. This session will provide practical solutions in three key areas: nonprofit management, board development, and strategic planning. Attendees will learn effective governance strategies, board engagement techniques, and leadership best practices to strengthen their organizations. The session will also cover financial oversight, operational efficiency, and strategic growth, offering tools to help clinics plan for long-term success.

Using real-world examples and actionable takeaways, this presentation will empower clinic leaders to optimize resources, improve decision-making, and build a sustainable future. Whether you’re an executive, board member, or nonprofit professional, you’ll gain proven strategies to enhance your clinic’s impact, strengthen leadership, and ensure long-term viability.

Becoming Centered: Value-Based Team Development             

How do you train your team in cross-departmental topics and make it engaging and relevant for all?  You start with your values.

Clinics that are functioning at high speed, full capacity find it difficult to pour into their team within their means and provide something viewed as truly meaningful.  Training can feel forced, too modular, or, worse, a complete waste of time.  Yet, there is benefit in coming together, creating a united team for the work of accompaniment we all do.  Creating a value-driven method of training and development will not only build in skills and perspective for your employees but will also center your team within your mission, strengthening your workforce with great impact. Learn how to do this for your own clinic alongside the example of Open Arms Free Clinic’s suicide-readiness training.

“Lost In Translation”               

Effective healthcare communication is crucial, yet translation errors and cultural misunderstandings often compromise patient care. This presentation, “Lost in Translation,” explores the critical challenges posed by language barriers and lack of inclusivity in healthcare communication. Using examples of real-world consequences, participants will learn how poor translation impacts patient outcomes and discover practical solutions. These include strategies for selecting reliable translation tools, incorporating inclusive resources like international sign languages, and tailoring communication for diverse populations. Participants will also gain skills in simplifying complex information and using data storytelling to enhance clarity. By improving communication skills, attendees will be better equipped to build trust, improve patient understanding, and promote positive health outcomes across language and cultural divides.

Braided Care: Delivery of Medical and Behavioral Health Care Coupled with Services to Address Social Determinants of Health

Many patients served by free & charitable clinics face obstacles to improving their medical and/or behavioral health. By offering (or linking to) services that address social determinants of health, clinicians can enable their patients to achieve better health outcomes.

Beyond the Surface: Identifying and Addressing Family Violence Through Standardized Screening       

As members of the Americares Roadmap to Health Equity, Our House completed a yearlong QI project to improve depression screening and follow-up. Through that project, Our House discovered the need to screen for something as equally as important as depression: social needs.

Using the same change management techniques, the leadership and clinic team at Our House were able to implement the use of the AAFP Social Needs Screening Tool in 2023. This tool assesses a variety of social determinants of health including something clinicians may rarely consider: interpersonal violence and threats to personal safety.

At this session, attendees will learn about the importance of utilizing standardized processes to screen for social needs, how to implement the AAFP Social Needs screening in a free or charitable clinic setting, best practices for addressing social needs, and how to leverage data on social needs for funding opportunities.