Free health care clinic aims to serve 5,000 in four days

Five thousand Los Angeles residents will receive health care at the LA Sports Arena CareNow’s massive free clinic this Thursday through Sunday.

Patients lined up early Monday morning to receive wristbands that serve as a ticket to the clinic later in the week – only 5,000 were available and all were quickly snatched up. Each wristband signifies a day and time to arrive at the clinic, and organizers hope to serve approximately 1,200 each day.

“When people are here at the crack of dawn, it makes the point in a very demonstrative way that there is an increased need for health services for the uninsured and underinsured,” L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas told the Los Angeles Times.

Cardiologists, podiatrists, vision specialists and dentists will volunteer this weekend to provide free examinations, check ups, screenings and information on follow-up care.

Many of the patients who waited in line Monday are unemployed, uninsured, employed but don’t receive benefits and even undocumented immigrants who don’t qualify for state or federal health care aid.

“It’s really expensive,” Gladys Menendez told the Times. “A week’s pay won’t even cover a [dental] filling.”

This is the fourth clinic of its kind that CareNow has hosted in Los Angeles. The non-profit organization aims to increase health care access to those in need.