I’ve been working at the Kansas City Free Health Clinic for awhile now, and have loved every minute of it. The clinic was bourn of the Westport Free Health Clinic, which was started out in 1971 under the charge of:
We believe that health care is a human right, not a privilege based on income or anything else; that health care means caring about people, not just treating their diseases; that an emphasis on health education, preventive medicine, demystification and de-professionalism of medicine must underlie all interactions between staff and patients; that no hierarchical structures can exist among clinic staff or between staff and patients. We see the Free Clinic as a tool to build a new community.
These are the only two pictures of the Free Clinic I have/found. There are several different versions of the poster on the left, many in some great day-glo colors. The picture on the right is of the original founders of the clinic in it’s first permanent home — a house that was later condemned — near Westport.
The original spirit of the founders lives on, though the clinic has expanded quite a bit. The services offered blew me away when I started, as did the facilities. I have seen private practice clinics that don’t look as well ran as this place. In order to keep the place running, provide free prescription medications, medical, dental, and chiropractic care, as well as a staff to manage the 900 volunteers running around–one can imagine it takes a lot of donations, as well as a lot of fundraising. This weekend is the inaugural Kansas City Beer Festival out at Legends. Tickets are $20 if purchased before the event, and $25 there. Your money gets you a commemorative sampling glass to use at your own discretion 
. A portion of the money goes to the KC Free Clinic. If you still have any doubts, I’m including a list of the participating breweries and their beers. There are a few heavy-hitters on the list like New Belgium, Odells, Anchor, Breckenridge, Sierra Nevada, Heineken, Goose Island, Lost Coast, Left Hand, Great Divide, the list goes on and on.
