Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Bridges Collaborative Care Clinic and who does it serve?
The Bridges Collaborative Care Clinic (BCCC) is a student-run, inter-professional, free clinic aiming to provide care to underserved communities in the Portland area. Students from Portland State University, Oregon Health and Science University and Oregon State University, partner with Transition Projects Inc., a non-profit in the heart of Portland, to build the clinic from the ground up.
Supervised by faculty, students in the BCCC provide health screenings, basic primary care, triage decisions for emergent care, health education courses, medical education and help navigating and locating necessary resources.
What is the medical clinic model? Are you a primary care clinic?
We function similar to an acute care clinic with transitional focus, serving as the first point of contact for those with limited ability to gain access to existing services. The goal of our clinic is to support and guide our patients in navigating the healthcare system and to assist them in establishing longitudinal primary care.
Will patients need to make appointments to be seen? Or do you accept walk-ins?
We are a walk-in clinic only.
Who is the population that the BCCC will target?
The clinic aims to serve the population around the clinic’s location on the east side of Portland. Because this area is severely underserved with almost no low-income clinics nearby, Bridges will aim to serve those of this area first.
Because of its proximity to the River District Navigation Center, the BCCC will provide easy access for the center’s 100 residents who are working towards permanent housing.
Who is the community partner you are working with?
Transition Projects Inc. is a nonprofit organization that serves multiple areas around Portland. This organization supports people experiencing homelessness by helping with the transition into affordable housing.
How is the clinic funded?
The project received some initial sources of funding including the OHSU School of Medicine 2016/2017 Bacon Endowment Fund, various OHSU School of Medicine health grants, and outside donations. The clinic is also funded by generous contributions to our fundraising page.
Why was the BCCC started?
Transition Projects Inc. identified a need to increase access to health care for its participants and reached out to OHSU’s School of Medicine with the idea of building a free clinic. OHSU’s Senior Associate Dean for Education then began conversations with OHSU disciplines, Oregon State University and Portland State University about what the clinic could look like. Three students from the various universities then came together to take on the project of a student-run clinic and began organizing an inter-professional leadership team dedicated to the project.
The BCCC has three aims: (1) providing basic health care services to TPI participants experiencing homelessness; (2) offering students valuable hands-on opportunities through structured community-based learning experiences; and (3) providing an entry point to healthcare that can bridge the gap to longitudinal primary care.
Where is the clinic located?
The clinic is located in the River District Navigation Center (RDNC) in NW Portland. The medical clinic, mental health and various social services will operate out of the RDNC site.
The dental and wound clinics will be located in a permanent space in the Bud Clark Commons at 665 NW Hoyt St. Portland, OR 97209.
Is the care at the clinic free for patients?
Clinic services will be free for all patients, regardless of insurance coverage. The clinic staff will work with uninsured patients to connect them to Oregon Health Plan application assistance to get Medicaid coverage.
For those that are currently covered by Medicare or Medicaid, the clinic can help connect these patients to long-term primary care options through their current coverage so that free care resources can be used to serve as many patients as possible.
How did you determine the needs of those needing your services?
In 2016, a needs assessment of the residents in TPI was performed. When asked what was needed to be healthy, participants answered:
Food
Medical services
Mental health support
Resource navigation
Dental services
Pharmacy services
When asked what was preventing participants from accessing services they needed, transportation was reported to be the most significant barrier. Part of the reason for this is the lack of low-income clinics on Portland’s East side. Because the BCCC is located in central southeast Portland, very close to public transportation, the clinic has a unique opportunity to serve a community lacking access.
How can I support Bridges Clinic?
Please refer to the “Donate” button located on the top right corner of the page menu.
We appreciate your willingness to help!
Is the Bridges Clinic a non-profit?
BCCC is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
What makes Bridges unique?
The clinic is Oregon’s first multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary student-run free clinic. No other free, student-run clinic to date has begun as a truly inter-professional endeavor from the very beginning.
We have students from many different specialties including, but not limited to:
Nursing
Pharmacy
Dental
Public Health Management
Public Health Promotion
Social work
Counseling
Medicine
Physician Assistant
Community Health
How often is the clinic open, and how many people will you see per day?
The BCCC medical clinic is open every Tuesday evening and some Saturdays. See the Bridges calendar for dates. The medical clinic is equipped to see 6 to 8 patients per day.
Will Transition Projects Inc. residents be given priority over non-TPI clients?
Initially BCCC will be open to TPI residents only. We are in the process of expanding our services to other clients. Please check back for updates.
Will there be free items passed out to participants (i.e. toothbrushes, socks, etc.)?
Due to the size of the clinic and lack of storage space, the clinic will only be handing out items during special events such as educational classes. However, our participant navigators plan to work with neighboring organizations to ensure that participants’ needs are met.
As a provider, faculty member or facility, how do I get involved?
BCCC is currently seeking clinics that are willing to accept BCCC patients for primary care as well as additional faculty members to advise on the referral network.
Currently, we can only accept OHSU faculty as preceptor volunteers for our medical and dental clinics. Specifically, we are looking for nursing preceptors to supervise our nursing students and internal medicine, family medicine, and emergency medicine faculty for the supervision of medical students. The clinic students are able to work with specific faculty schedules.
Please see our “Volunteer” page for more information.
We also welcome community expert and/or faculty guidance in many of our ongoing projects. Please email if you are interested in this form of mentorship.
As a student, how do I get involved?
Please see our “Volunteer” page for more information.