Haight Ashbury Free Medical Clinic

See the large house on the corner? That’s the Haight Ashbury Free Clinic. It was founded in 1967 by Dr. David Smith, who was at the time head of the drug and alcohol testing unit at San Francisco General Hospital. During the Summer of Love, when tens of thousands flower children found themselves dancing barefoot in the streets while taking drugs, the health care needs of a highly stigmatized population rocketed. David Smith was inspired by the Diggers, who distributed free meals. Thanks to a donation from the church, he founded the first free non-sectarian medical clinic in the United States. The idea goes beyond free healthcare, it’s also about non-judgement and not discriminating against a population because you don’t share their point of view. So, of course, behind the happy image of flowers in the hair and a caring community, there are also the STDs and pneumonia of all those half-naked youngsters who thought it was hot in San Francisco in summer. No it’s not that hot. Add to that the failed abortion attempts and bad trips, not to mention food poisoning, and you’ve got a long line of hippies at the clinic’s doors. The financial support that enabled the clinic to survive was initially provided by the rock’n’roll industry, which organized charity concerts, later, when the hippies left, the new patients were addicted to harder drugs. Many were Vietnam veterans who came home with an addiction to heroin. At that point, the state stepped in and the clinic received government funding. This small house launched the movement, and over 1,200 clinics were opened across the country. Above all, it promoted the idea that addiction is a medical illness and a public health problem, not a criminal activity. Still in operation today, it is based on the principle that access to healthcare is a right, not a privilege (let’s not forget the particular context of the American healthcare system). It’s a caring place that provides screenings and specialized care for health problems related to homelessness, poverty and addiction.