Fan Free Clinic

Fan Free Clinic (FFC) provides medical treatment, health education and outreach, support services and advocacy for those in the Richmond area with limited access to care. We place special emphasis on welcoming the least served.

In 1968, a small community clinic―formed in conjunction with the free university movement and patterned after similar efforts in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury neighborhood―was established in Richmond’s historic Fan District. Incorporated two years later, Fan Free Clinic became the first free clinic in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

In the 1970s, FFC’s efforts were focused on women’s health and the prevention of transmissible diseases. In the 1980s—responding to the onset of a national epidemic—FFC established the first community-based HIV/AIDS outreach program in the state (and retains to this day a leadership position among HIV/AIDS service organizations). Today, as more and more individuals and families find themselves without adequate health care coverage and affordable resources, FFC is reshaping itself once again to meet contemporary challenges.

It’s this responsiveness—fueled by ingenuity and an unwavering commitment to the community it serves—that characterizes FFC and allows us to say “Welcome”…day after day, month after month, and year after year.