Clínica Comunitaria Esperanza: Strategy for Health Promotion and Engagement With Hispanic Communities.

A 2009 community needs assessment highlighted the health care gap facing Hispanic residents in Hampton, Virginia, one of the major cities served by Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS). Survey respondents indicated the following as health care barriers: language, lack of knowledge, and lack of a community health center. EVMS students worked to bridge the health care gap between existing needs and services by establishing and maintaining the Clínica Comunitaria Esperanza, a culturally and linguistically competent student-run free clinic serving uninsured Hispanics in the Hampton Roads area.