Gift Economy Health Clinic

After 22 years in private practice, Dr. Lorna Stuart found herself frustrated with the number of insurance companies and the rules and restrictions that came with them. "The day-to-day time that I spent on paperwork was increasing, while my patients weren't getting the good care that I wanted to give them -- face-to-face time, one-on-one time," she recalls. "I vowed to do whatever little I could about this inequity of care." For Stuart, that vow came in the form of opening her own clinic and treating the uninsured. Her efforts resulted in "The Clinic: Medical Center for the Uninsured," a charitable, sun-filled clinic that has since received more than 40,000 patient visits. Individuals receive free or low-cost primary medical care across eight specialties, regardless of income or locality.

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