Carpenter’s Shelter offers a free clinic every Thursday night for our residents and the Alexandria community. Dr. William Rogers has been organizing and running the clinic for over a decade on a strictly volunteer basis. Our free clinic is a great resource for those clients who are uninsured, because clients are able to receive prescriptions, checkups, and health advice. Recently the clinic started offering women’s wellness exams and continues to administer flu shots each winter.
Health problems such as heart disease and diabetes are taken care of in our clinic with the use of medication and health checkups. Our staff also collaborates with the Alexandria Community Services Board in regards to mental health issues. The CSB is a group of volunteers appointed by the Alexandria City Council that oversees the use of public funds to provide mental health services through the Department of Community and Human Services. The Department has several centers for specific services, helping each client for their specific needs. Our clinic does everything possible to assist our clients with health issues, and the CSB also works with those same clients to ensure their mental health issues are properly taken care of.
A personal connection between our clinic volunteers and clients is what makes the Carpenter’s Shelter clinic so special. Dr. Rogers and the volunteer nurses often check in with their patients to make sure they are taking medication and following health advice. The doctor advises all patients to quit smoking and encourages them through their sometimes difficult journey. The personal relationships built within our clinic are truly what make it so important. The on-site clinic ensures that our clients are getting all of the help and encouragement they need to succeed.