May 30, 2014

Findcare.org was conceived by a group of students from the University of Michigan Medical School and now encompasses contributions from students at the Schools of Information, Engineering & Computer Science, Social Work, Public Health, Pharmacy, and Business. Findcare.org went live on April 15, 2014. 

This nonprofit website that aims to make it easy to find  free or sliding-scale clinics near you, learn who they assist,  what services they offer, understand where and when they’re open, and how to contact them.

More than two dozen students helped pull together the information on the site from a wide range of sources, and build an interface that works well on mobile devices and desktop computers.

The site’s database already includes information on over 500 clinics in Michigan and approximately 2,000 in the Midwest, with a goal of expanding the website into a nationwide resource.

Pharmacy students were involved in a wide variety of activities such as entrepreneurship (marketing strategies, grants, funding, and ways to increase publicity), community relations, (surveying clinics, providers, and understanding community needs), database maintenance, as well as website design optimization. Student organizers of Findcare.org met as a whole biweekly to discuss the progress of each sub groups (grants, marketing, community relations, data collection, and website design).

With the intent to expand the database nationwide, pharmacy students will pilot this growth in Madison, WI in the next few weeks.

Read the full article from U-M Medical School.