Providing
Care To
Vulnerable
Patients
Integrating and Developing
the Pharmacist’s Role In
a Health Clinic Serving
Uninsured Patients in
Providence, Rhode Island
What is Clinica Esperanza?
Since its founding in 2007, Clinica Esperanza has been at the
forefront of providing culturally and linguistically appropriate
care to those in the greater Providence, Rhode Island area.
Serving as a cornerstone for holistic medicine, Clinica
Esperanza provides more than just primary healthcare services
offering nutrition, social work, and educational workshops to
their patients. With a small staff on payroll, volunteer providers
are a huge part of their success holding specialty clinics
including cardiology, dermatology, diabetes, gynecology,
neurology, ophthalmology, and psychology. Clinica Esperanza
is a beacon of hope for many. Most patients have incomes
far below the federal poverty limit and many do not qualify
for insurance benefits. Patients are often forced to sacrifice
food, utilities, and transportation to pay for their prescription
medications.
The pharmacy services at Clinica Esperanza began during
the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Faculty, staff,
and pharmacy students/interns from the University of Rhode
Island College of Pharmacy volunteered at the clinic and
were brought on to the team assisting with the clinic’s mass
COVID-19 vaccination events. Following the initial vaccination
surge, Clinica Esperanza continued to provide point-of-
care COVID testing, screening, and prescribing of Paxlovid
(nirmatrelvir/ritonavir) to treat high risk individuals in the
community with a pharmacy resident available for assistance
in managing drug interactions and dosing adjustments.
Today, the clinic has experienced unprecedented growth.
As more patients continue to face barriers with regards to
healthcare access and prescription cost, Clinica Esperanza
has seen stark increases in their utilization by community
members. In 2024, Clinica Esperanza served over 3,000
patients via just under 10,000 unique visits with over 1,400
new patients being seen and evaluated by the clinic. As part
of ongoing social determinant of health screen (SDOH)
screening during patient intake, currently over 1,200 patients
report a barrier to medication access including transportation,
financial, and/or gaps in knowledge.
Continued Growth: Expanding
Pharmacy Services and Integrating
Pharmacy Students and Residents
Since the inception of pharmacy services at Clinic Esperanza
during the 2021-2022 pharmacy residency year, the team has
grown to over 15 members including current PGY1 community
based and PGY2 ambulatory pharmacy residents, graduated
pharmacy residents, and other volunteer pharmacists. The bulk
of growth and success can be attributed to collaboration efforts
with the University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy
and Rhode Island Hospital pharmacy residency programs.
With the inclusion of pharmacy students and residents, the
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