Support the Coachella Valley Free Clinic

The families who harvest the food that feeds our nation often struggle to access healthcare themselves. The Coachella Valley Free Clinic is working to change that.

The Coachella Valley Free Clinic serves Latinx and Indigenous Mexican immigrant families across the eastern Coachella Valley, including agricultural workers whose labor sustains our region but who often face significant barriers to accessing healthcare. Our community includes members of the Purépecha Indigenous community from Michoacán, Mexico, many of whom speak Purépecha as their first language and face additional barriers to culturally and linguistically appropriate care.

Through the dedication of volunteer students, healthcare providers, and community partners, the clinic provides primary care, mental healthcare, preventive services, public health education, and connections to specialty care. Community health workers and promotoras—trusted leaders from the communities we serve—play a vital role in building relationships, providing culturally responsive support, and connecting families to the care they need.

The clinic is also a powerful training ground for the next generation of healthcare leaders. Students from UC Riverside and partner institutions work alongside clinicians and community health workers to provide compassionate care while learning to address the structural and social factors that shape health inequities. Here, students practice transformational leadership—developing the skills needed to improve systems of care and build a more equitable healthcare future.

In addition to clinical training, the clinic serves as an important site for research training in community-engaged and patient-centered approaches, helping future physicians, public health professionals, and academics learn how to partner with communities to improve health outcomes.