This endowment supports the operational expenses of the Equal Access Clinic Network, (EACN) a group of student-operated free health care clinics. It is the first endowment established by the UF Medical Guild in honor of our 60th Anniversary.
- Established: January 2019
- Fully funded at: $250,000
- Estimated annual support: $10,000 in perpetuity
Overview
EACN is a student‑run clinic system founded in 1992 to provide high‑quality, no‑cost medical care to uninsured and underinsured residents of Alachua County. Operated in partnership with the UF College of Medicine, EACN now includes four primary care sites and 16 specialty clinics, delivering comprehensive, patient‑centered care while training future health professionals.
Year in Review
During the 2024–2025 fiscal year, EACN matched a record level of service with approximately 2,131 patient visits serving nearly 1,200 unique patients. With sustained demand, the network focused on quality improvement initiatives to enhance workflow efficiency, reduce missed appointments, strengthen patient satisfaction, and expand services addressing social determinants of health.
Clinical Services and Impact
EACN continued to expand both access and scope of care, including:
- Primary care and specialty clinics such as cardiology, gynecology, psychiatry, dermatology, prenatal care, and nephrology
- Mental and behavioral health services with increased crisis education and suicide prevention training
- Preventive screenings, including diabetes testing, cancer screenings, HIV and STI testing, and cervical cancer screening
- Gender‑affirming care, PrEP services, and multilingual health services in more than eight languages
Collectively, EACN provided over $100,000 in physician care, prescribed more than 1,100 medications, and distributed over 2,000 pounds of food through its mobile food pharmacy.
Community Partnerships and Innovation
EACN strengthened partnerships with UF Health, the UF Health Cancer Center, the Florida Blue Foundation, Gainesville Giving Garden, and the Alachua County Department of Health. Key initiatives included:
- Expansion of mobile food pharmacy services across all clinic sites
- Reintroduction of dental clinic nights in collaboration with the UF College of Dentistry
- Transition from Practice Fusion to UF Health EPIC electronic medical records
- Launch of an artificial intelligence‑based diabetic retinopathy screening initiative
Education and Volunteer Engagement
The network was supported by 40 continuous undergraduate volunteers and integrated into UF medical education through electives, quality improvement training, and patient advocacy tracks. EACN also relaunched its annual 5K fundraising event, raising funds for patient care while engaging the broader community.