Student-run clinic will provide low-cost eye exams for needy patients
Beginning March 21, the student-run SHARING (Student Health Alliance Reaching Indigent Needy Groups) Clinic at the University of Nebraska Medical Center will now provide ophthalmology services to its patients.
The ophthalmology night will be held at UNMC Physicians Eye Specialists, 3925 Dewey Ave., and students will have the capabilities to perform complete eye exams. Initially, ophthalmology night will be held on the third Wednesday of every other month. The students hope to provide the service on a monthly basis as the patient load increases.
The students will launch the clinic serving seven patients in March and hope to see up to 15 patients by June. The clinic will accept referral patients from the UNMC SHARING Clinics and the Hope Medical Outreach Coalition Clinics.
The students worked closely with the UNMC Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Department to make the ophthalmology night possible.
"We are pleased to offer eye exams for our SHARING Clinic patients,” said UNMC medical student Tommy Muelleman, who worked on developing the clinic. “The UNMC Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Department has been very generous in helping us plan and implement the new Ophthalmology Night for SHARING."
Founded in 1997, the SHARING Clinics’ mission is to provide quality, low-cost health services to those in need, while also providing an opportunity for valuable student education. Student and faculty volunteers from a variety of disciplines, including medicine, nursing, pharmacy and public health, work together to provide patients with integrated, multidisciplinary care.
In addition to the ophthalmology services, the SHARING Clinics also include:
· The SHARING Medical Clinic for general health care;
· The RESPECT Clinic for STD testing, treatment, and counseling;
· The GOODLIFE Clinic for diabetes care; and
· A dental clinic in Lincoln operated by UNMC College of Dentistry students.
Through world-class research and patient care, UNMC generates breakthroughs that make life better for people throughout Nebraska and beyond. Its education programs train more health professionals than any other institution in the state. Learn more at unmc.edu.