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Clinics are held one evening or Saturday morning per
week. Each clinic is run like an urgent medical care clinic. All are intended to treat pain and suffering, although
each has a slightly different scope of service depending on the needs of the community it serves. The clinics each
serve between 10 and 40 patients per clinic session.
RotaCare clinics are run by volunteers. Each clinic
has its own Administrative Council which oversees the day-to-day operation of the clinic and consists of: a chairman,
a board representative, a site administrator, a medical coordinator, a nursing coordinator, a quality assurance
coordinator, a pharmacy coordinator, a volunteer coordinator, a fund-raising coordinator, multiple members from
social service agencies and other interested community members.
 Each
clinic is manned by volunteers which include 1-2 physicians, 2-4
nurses, a pharmacist, a registrar, translator/registration clerks
and a site administrator. Some clinics also have volunteer physician
assistants and nurse practitioners. Clinic volunteers work in
collaboration with a number of social service agencies in each
community to provide follow-up and long-term care. RotaCare clinics
act as a point-of-entry into many social service systems.
Patients are registered and assisted throughout the
process by translators who speak their language. Nurses take each patient's history and vitals. Most clinics provide
toys and books for the children as they wait. The physician examines the patient and charts the findings in a permanent
chart. The chart then goes to the pharmacy for dispensing of free drugs and then to the social worker for any special
needs and a discharge plan for follow-up care. RotaCare clinics maintain a large list of pro bono specialist physicians
and other low-cost clinics for care outside the clinic's scope of service.
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