Community Report

Community Builders Group: Jewish Community Free Clinic Build-Out

Who would have thought that a cup of coffee at a local croissant café and a conversation between two strangers would have anything to do with building a new free health clinic?
The great thing about life is we just never can be sure how and where great friendships, partnerships and resources will come from. Community Builders Group and the Jewish Community Free Clinic experienced just that, a wonderful, purposeful encounter. Even though things didn’t work out with a new building in Cotati, we finally were able to come together with a location for the JCFC in Rohnert Park. A brand new building providing space that would be the new home for the JCFC and give the community a fresh new look as well as the ability to provide free clinical care to those without health insurance though out our community.

It was a wonderful experience as both the JCFC and CBG worked together to make this project a reality. Many hands were involved in many hours of making phone calls, writing letters and giving insight to what the clinic will look like and it’s functions. After the details to the project were finished it was time to get started. CBG knew that there would be some overall costs that would come with this build-out, but we would do our best to gather as many businesses as possible to donate the time and materials that we would need to complete this important project. Thanks to the over 50 businesses and over 100 volunteers the new home for the JCFC was accomplished. With estimates ranging over $200,000 we were able to bring the overall building cost to minimum of under $60,000. This was fantastic! This was a living example of how important it is for us all to work together regardless of our cultural backgrounds and/or religious differences. We can accomplish great things when we are willing to be a community of people caring for one another. This project in many ways has been a first of its kind.

By the end of December (with the help of many hands and trucks) we moved the entire clinic to our new, more spacious location. On January 8, 2007 we held our first clinic in the new locaiton. We were completely full that day and have been full on the subsequent days.

New Funding for JCFC

More good news! We have received the following grants since December 2006:

• Walter and Elise Haas Fund $30,00
• Kaiser Permanente, Santa Rosa $15,000
• Medtronic Foundation $60,000 ($20,000 a year for three years)
• St. Joseph Health System, Sonoma County $13,000

Many, many thanks to so many who helped us locate, dedicate and move to our new space - also to so many of you who have donated to us (too many to list here), and to those who continue to volunteer their time to help the most vulnerable and most in need in our community.