what we do
CHEER Clinic
We primarily provide primary care through The Clínica Esperanza/Hope Clinic Emergency Room Diversion Project (CHEER Clinic), which is a walk-in clinic providing non-emergent primary care to uninsured adults. This clinic helps to tackle a major problem and unnecessary cost in the American healthcare system: the overuse of the emergency department for non-emergent medical needs due to underinsurance. Instead of going to the emergency room for back pain or the flu and overpaying for care, community members can walk into our clinic and be served by a Spanish-speaking medical provider for free. Many patients that come to the clinic through CHEER also return for follow-up visits and build long-term relationships with our medical providers through the Continuity of Care Clinic (CCC). We also provide specific clinics dedicated to women’s health.
Medical Student Clinic
Medical students from Brown’s Alpert Medical School come each week to provide free clinical care and gain experience in culturally sensitive care to an underserved community. Our medical students also provide health screenings within the community.
Physician Assistant (PA) Student Clinic
Physician Assistant students from Bryant University's PA Program host clinics two Saturdays every month that are dedicated to diabetes care. Students gain experience in what it means to provide medical care to diabetic patients and gain experience in providing culturally sensitive care to an underserved community.
Vida Sana
Vida Sana is a community health education program that supports patients with metabolic syndrome who are at risk for diabetes by providing nutrition education, exercise support, and cooking classes in a small group setting. The program has been recognized for its successes, as an article published in the Journal of Community Health reports that “nearly 90% of Vida Sana participants showed an increase in their health literacy, and at least 60% of participants decreased each of the risk factors (blood sugar, cholesterol, body mass index or waist circumference) associated with metabolic syndrome.”
Diabetes Prevention Program
Clínica Esperanza is a CDC-DPRP recognized provider of the Diabetes Prevention Program curriculum that educates individuals with pre-diabetes about how to lead a healthy life and prevent the onset of diabetes. Pre-diabetes is incredibly common - it is estimated that 1 in 3 American adults have pre-diabetes, the vast majority of them are undiagnosed. Clínica Esperanza serves as the DPP provider for the Olneyville Health Equity Zone in Rhode Island. Learn more about the Health Equity Zone and related services for Olneyville residents here.
Navegantes
This successful and long-running community health worker program was started in 2010. Within it, multilingual community members are trained in case management, outreach, health education, advocacy, and medical interpreting. The Navegantes help patients navigate the health system, apply for free care, apply for insurance, find community resources, and learn to use our walk-in CHEER clinic instead of emergency departments when appropriate. The Navegantes are also the instructors of the Vida Sana and Diabetes Prevention Program classes, providing our commitment to a culturally appropriate community health model. For more information about Navegantes, click here!