Problem Student-run free clinics (SRFCs) provide health and outreach services to underserved populations while offering medical students opportunities for service and education. Many SRFCs were forced to suspend in-person operations in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Before March 2020, JeffHOPE, the SRFC at Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, operated an evening clinic at 5 locations throughout Philadelphia each week. Approach JeffHOPE’s response to challenges posed by COVID-19 focused on a redesign for a pilot clinic at a shelter site that expressed interest in resuming operations. The student leaders conducted a needs assessment with shelter stakeholders, including administrators and long-term residents, to identify service priorities. They also developed a list of key components for safe patient engagement and care delivery. A hybrid telehealth approach was developed to reduce in-person exposure for patients and volunteers and to involve preclinical medical students remotely. Three iPads were acquired via an internal grant. Outcomes The pilot clinic reopened in September 2020. Over the first 13 weeks of operation, 44 unique patients received care across 98 visits. Of these visits, 21 were in-person only with a clinical student and preceptor, while 77 also used the hybrid telehealth model to connect via iPad with a preclinical student. Patient visit volume was approximately 35%–40% of the pre–COVID-19 level. Of the 58 total volunteers, 11 were preclinical students who participated remotely. Next Steps Three additional JeffHOPE clinic sites have reopened since December 2020 using this hybrid telehealth model. Patient feedback, via surveys and interviews, will determine which components are retained. Other SRFCs should be encouraged to innovate and develop plans for safe resumption of services, with an appropriate approach and organizational support, despite the challenges posed by the pandemic.

This article describes the perceived physical and psychological health impacts of community gardening on participants in the Mississippi Delta. Themes identified include the use of gardening as an educational tool and as a means to increase self-efficacy and responsibility for personal and community health. Additional benefits of gardening as identified by the study include exposure to new types of healthy foods, increased physical activity, and the building of a legacy. Incorporation of gardening into school curriculum could equip young residents with gardening skills and improve the likelihood that community gardens will be maintained.