The Suitcase Clinic
ADVOCACY | COMMUNITY | SOLIDARITY
Interested in
joining
.png)
?
Spring 2023 Info Sessions:
We highly recommend attending an infosession before you apply!
Our infosessions will be 1/25 at 7-8pm and 1/26 at 6-7pm. The zoom link is https://tinyurl.com/SuitcaseInfoSession1. Check our Instagram (@thesuitcaseclinic) for any updates and changes!
Applications due 2/1 @ 4pm! No late apps are accepted. Email suitcaseclass@gmail.com with any questions.
Applications are due by 2/2 at 4 PM.
Interview "callbacks" will be released on 2/3
Berkeley Eviction Defense Center
Are you a Berkeley Tenant? Are you behind on rent? Did you suffer a loss of income due to COVID-19? The Eviction Defense Center can help.
Call the Eviction Defense Center at (510) 452-4541 to see if you qualify for the Berkeley Housing Retention Grant.
Serving the Berkeley community since 1989
The Suitcase Clinic is a humanitarian student organization and volunteer community that offers free health and social services to underserved populations. Structured around the principles of public health, social welfare, and community activism, it currently operates three weekly multi-service drop-in centers in the city of Berkeley: the General Clinic, the Women’s Clinic and the Youth/LGBTQ+ Clinic. In addition to providing services, it strives to educate students, engage in community organization, and support public policy efforts that address homelessness in the local community.
News
Clinic Overview
YQT+ Clinic Reopening on 9/13!
Come visit our Youth & LGBTQ+ Clinic starting Monday, September 13th at 2300 Bancroft Way
Women's Clinic Reopening on 9/20!
Come visit Women's Clinic starting Monday, September 20th at 2236 Parker St.
Women's Clinic Grab & Go bags
Women's Clinic is now offering to go kits on Mondays from 4 to 5 pm outside Life Church (2236 Parker St., Berkeley CA 94720). The kits they offer contain:
-
First-aid supplies
-
Shower and bath supplies
-
Feminine hygiene supplies
Come for warm meals and snacks, hand warmers, and other winter supplies! Please note that Women's Clinic is operating through the Berkeley Outreach Coalition.
Please see clinic pages for professional services offered during each clinic.
Berkeley Outreach Coalition: a new collaborative group
We have recently partnered with other Berkeley-based nonprofit organizations, under the Berkeley Outreach Coalition, who are working both on the ground and at a policy level to advocate for housing and food insecure folks. We provide a variety of resources including legal assistance, harm reduction supplies, health/medical kits, and food. If you are in need of essential supplies, access to COVID-19 testing, food, or water, please fill out our Emergency Request Form so that we can assess your needs and connect you with the right people. Check out our website for local resources, updates on the city's inadequate response to COVID-19's devastating effects on our unhoused community and on efforts that our coalition has made to compensate for this irresponsibility, and more.
Information on COVID-19
Image from Berkeley Free Clinic
Locations and Services
Youth/LGBTQ+ Clinic (teens + 20s only): Mondays 6:00-9:00pm
Location: St. Mark's Episcopal Church, 2300 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, CA 94704
Women's Clinic (female-identifying + children): Mondays 6:00-9:00pm
Location: LIFE Adventist Church, 2236 Parker St, Berkeley, CA 94704
General Clinic: Tuesdays 6:15-9:00pm (Sign-ups for services outside door starting Tuesday morning)
Location: First Presbyterian Church, 2407 Dana St, Berkeley CA 94704 (entrance on Haste)
**NOTE: Because we are run by undergraduate students at UC Berkeley, our clinics operate around the school schedule and may be closed for holidays and during school breaks. Please check the clinic-specific calendars to check if clinic will be open on a specific day. Scroll below for more information on each clinic, including clinic-specific calendars and maps.
UNDERGRADUATE SERVICES ( free + provided at each clinic)
-
Dinner (General at 7:30pm, Youth/LGBTQ+ 7 pm, Women's 6 pm)
-
Footwashing
-
Haircutting & Hairwashing (General & Youth/LGBTQ only)
-
Hygiene Supplies
-
Massage (Youth/LTBGQ+ & Women's only)
-
Performed by trained students
-
-
Laundry Services
-
**show up at Bing Wong Wash (on Telegraph) every 2nd Tuesday of the month, 4-5 PM
-
-
Community resources and employment referrals
-
Housing referrals/assessments
-
Assessment offered at General every 3rd Tuesday of the month
-
-
Legal Services
-
Blood Pressure Monitoring (General only)
-
Varies week-to-week; check clinic-specific calendars
-
-
Wellness and art activities
-
Artists in Residents Program (General only)
-
Space for art workshops, painting, and playing musical instruments
-
-
Nail-painting (Women's only)
-
Children's Services/Care (Women's only)
-
SHARE
-
An open discussion circle on various topics
-
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES ( free + provided only on certain days and clinics)
**These services are not offered consistently. Please check clinic-specific calendars for the most up-to-date info.
-
Optometry Vouchers (General Clinic only)
-
VSP vouchers for free eye exam, prescription, and eyeglasses at UC Berkeley's Eye Center
-
ONLY for uninsured (those with Medi-Cal are NOT eligible) and a voucher must not have been used in the past year
-
May not have them every week and will be put on waitlist if not available
-
-
Medical Services (all clinics)
-
Acute medical concerns seen by UCSF-JMP medical students. Limited prescriptions.
-
-
Massage (Youth/LGBTQ+ & General only)
-
Professionals only, varies week-to-week
-
-
Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (all clinics)
-
Provided by Touro University medical students
-
-
HIV/Hepatitis Testing (Youth/LGBTQ+ & General only)
-
Provided by Berkeley Free Clinic
-
-
Acupuncture (Youth/LGBTQ+ Clinic only)
-
Spiritual Counseling (General only)
-
BFHP Housing Outreach (General only)
-
Chiropractor (Women's & General only)
-
General's chiro services offered every other week; check calendar
-
WOMEN'S CHIRO CURRENTLY NOT AVAILABLE UNTIL AFTER SUMMER 2019
-
**DISCLAIMER: Due to the great interest in certain services, we mainly operate on a first-come, first-serve waitlist and cannot guarantee you will be seen for a specific service at each clinic. However, we will try our best to prioritize individuals who haven't used our services before or weren't able to get a specific services the previous clinic. In addition, some of our professional service providers are subject to change until the day of clinic. Although we try to update our calendars as much as possible, please keep this information in mind when coming to our spaces. You may also contact the clinic directors through the contact form on each clinic page.
Learn more about our clinics!
GENERAL CLINIC
General Clinic is the oldest of the Suitcase Clinic’s three drop-in centers. Here, individuals can receive health and social services, eat dinner, or just hang out with other community members and Cal students.
YOUTH/LGBTQ+ CLINIC
The Y/LGBTQ+ Clinic provides culturally relevant and accessible resources for individuals in their teens and twenties. The LGBTQ+ friendly space offers health and social services and is a great place to relax and hang out.
WOMEN'S CLINIC
Women's Clinic recently relocated to LIFE Adventist Church. A space for female-identifying individuals and children, the clinic provides health and social services specific to their needs.
Congregation BETH EL
Located in North Berkeley, Congregation Beth El serves a monthly Sunday meal for the community. Partnered with the UC San Francisco Joint Medical Program, it provides medical services, as well as health supplies other resources.