Tickets on Sale for Virtual HRC Annual Auction
01/12/2021
Tickets are on sale for the Saint Louis University Health Resource Center’s (HRC) Annual Auction. The auction supports the student-run clinic’s efforts to provide free, quality care to underserved patients in St. Louis.
“The clinic has been serving the St. Louis community for over 25 years and has become an incredible intersection for patient care and student education,” said Audrey Pham, a second-year medical student and co-director of the HRC. “Supporting the HRC not only means supporting the health of our community, but also the growth and education of compassionate, community-minded health providers.”
Due to COVID-19, this year’s auction will be held virtually on Saturday, Jan. 30. The event is open to supporters of all ages and runs from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. It features live and silent auctions and music by talented medical students in SLU’s Musicians in Medicine group.
“The HRC is 100% funded by donations and grants, and 100% of the money goes right back into the community,” Pham said. “We provide flu shots, TB tests, STI/HIV tests, Pap smears, vision screenings, prescription eyeglasses, and many more services to our patients.”
Pham notes that the community’s financial support directly impacts the clinic’s ability to provide these services.
Tickets are on sale through the Office of Alumni and Donor Engagement.
Tickets cost $10 for students and residents, $15 for general admission, and $25 for general admission and a SLU School of Medicine mug. All proceeds from tickets and the auction go to the HRC’s operating costs.
About the HRC
In 1994, SLU medical student Marsha McBride approached SLUCare geriatrician John Morley, M.D., with a vision of providing weekend healthcare to St. Louisans with no access to a doctor. Embodying the Jesuit commitment to service, she and her colleagues undertook the challenges of laying a new foundation, finding a place in St. Augustine’s Catholic Church and transforming the church basement into a space to welcome patients.
That year, a small group of students under the supervision of Morley cared for the first six patients of what would become an enduring free clinic, SLU’s Health Resource Center (HRC).
In the years that followed, the HRC expanded. The clinic outgrew the church basement and moved to its current location in the Victor Roberts building in North St. Louis, where more than 2,000 patients are seen each year.
Clinic services have expanded to incorporate physical therapy, social work, behavioral therapy and numerous specialty clinics. Over the years, in addition to medical students, nurse practitioner and physician assistant students have come together to allow the HRC to be open more frequently. Since its founding, the clinic’s two fundamental tenets have not changed – the HRC it is run by students and all medical services are provided at no charge to patients.
The HRC’s work and ability to carry out its mission are made possible by the support of the SLU and St. Louis communities.