Clinica Romero
Named after the martyred Salvadoran
archbishop and dedicated to the people that
he also served, Clinica Romero is
a free clinic offering no-questions-asked,
pay-whatever-you-can medical and
dental services and prescriptions to everyone
who comes to its door. The
clean and bright facility is located in the basement
of the Royal University
of America's Oriental Medical Center, Straightforward in
its operation,
Clinica Romero originally offered all its medical services
through volunteer
physicians, although access to some grant money recently has
made it possible
to hire a half-time physician, and Margaret Martinez is working
on a creative
plan to pay part of the salary of a supervisor from the University
of
Southern California Medical School, who would work on the clinic's site
to
oversee a cadre of interns and medical residents who'd help provide
medical
services there. Meanwhile, however, it efficiently delivers medical
services six
days a week (including two evening sessions) with a group of
about 15 local
physicians who volunteer their services on a rotating basis.
In a series of
related programs driven by project-specific funding, Clinica
Romero also
provides health education (particularly AIDS/HIV), and an alcohol
and
drug-prevention program that includes a community-organizing component
aimed at
ensuring that the neighborhood's 456 (!) liquor stores and bars
don't flout the
laws regarding loitering and sales to minors. With a staff of
23 and a $1
million annual budget, Clinica Romero faces a rising tide of
patients, with the
numbers served increasing from 3,500 three years ago to an
expected 11,000 this
year. With welfare "reform" denying Medicaid to many
legal immigrants,
these numbers aren't likely to decrease.