Free clinic now accepts medically underserved patients in Indio

The Coachella Valley Volunteers in Medicine is now accepting new patients at its free clinic in Indio. Executive Director Ron Stewart said the nonprofit organization wants to help clients who are medically underserved in the Coachella Valley.

Stewart made the announcement Tuesday morning.

“Our clients often fall through the cracks in medical services,” Stewart said. “People who are treated here make too much money to qualify for Medicaid and too little for the plans offered at Covered California or other private insurances. Some of our clients don’t have the documentation to qualify for any of the government sponsored programs.”

Stewart also said patients are seen by appointment only as the clinic is not an urgent care facility.

According to a the release, the free clinic sees a lot of people with diabetes, high blood pressure and other common but treatable ailments.

“We are a primary care clinic,” says Les Zendle, medical director for CVVIM. “Generally, it takes about a week from initial contact to first appointment. Many of our patients have not had access to medical care in many years.”

According to Stewart, the main qualification to become a client is having an address in the Coachella Valley.

“We’ll accept most any kind of proof of residency. We want people to think of CVVIM as their medical home for primary care in the Coachella Valley,” Stewart said.

The free clinic is located at 82-915 Avenue 48 in Indio.

Officials said all doctors and medical personnel are state licensed volunteers. The clinic is managed by a small paid staff and many volunteers, and donations and more volunteers are always welcome.

You can call 760-342-4414 to inquire about an appointment or view the eligibility requirements at cvvim.org.