Student Healthcare In Practice
About Us
A timeline of SHIP's history and accomplishments throughout the years
2019 - New Dental Clinic
and Relocation to Fullerton
SHIP relocated volunteer services to a fully funded medical and new dental clinic in Fullerton. After receiving the UCI “Small Change, Better World” Grant, SHIP Executive Board was able to purchase dental office and equipment. During the Winter Quarter, we also opened recruitment for new dental volunteers as well as dental providers.
2021 - New Rowland
Heights Clinic
In order to outreach a larger underserved patient demographic, SHIP also provided volunteer services to the new Rowland Heights satellite clinic. On top of our Spanish translation services, SHIP created new Mandarin and Cantonese translation services to better address the needs of the community.
2009 - Our Beginnings
Shifa Clinic OC was established in 2009, the first student-run free clinic at UC Irvine as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Shifa OC was nationally recognized by President Clinton for its contribution and impact on the local community. Since moving to its permanent fully-funded location on Crescent Avenue in 2014, our clinic was renamed to Crescent Clinic OC at the Anaheim satellite clinic.
2020 - Reopening during COVID
With thanks to the united efforts of our members, friends, family, and community, SHIP successfully raised over $3,000 worth of PPE and sanitation supplies and reopen Crescent Clinic. To keep our volunteers, providers, and patients safe, SHIP executive board also created its first ever telemedicine and triaging protocol.
2022 – A New Chapter
After seven years of providing quality medical and dental volunteering services for underserved patients, SHIP reached a termination of partnership with Crescent Clinic. Currently, we are in a new partnership with Lestonnac Free Clinic at the main office in Orange, CA.
On any given Saturday shift, SHIP volunteers help serve about fifty patients or more, 80% of whom are Spanish-speaking. We volunteer alongside healthcare professionals in various specialties such as general practice, dermatology, ENT, endocrinology, cardiology, therapy, and dentistry, with technicians that specialize in ultrasounds, echocardiograms, and X-rays. In addition to regular clinic, on select Saturdays of each month, we volunteer for the monthly Retina Global Project. We also plan projects to distribute free food bags and hygiene kits to under-resourced patients to better support them.
In this new chapter of SHIP history, we are excited to work along with LFC staff to help fill the critical gaps of the healthcare system and look forward to improving the quality of life of our patients in the underserved community.