Health Right 360

I basically almost died a few months ago, and if it weren’t for the haight street clinic– I would have. I recently got off of the 3 different antibiotics (prescribed at SFGH) that I was on for about 2 months, and I have only good feelings about all who work at this clinic. I was treated with so much kindness and care. Thank you!

This is for the Haight St clinic. If you have a serious back injury, don’t bother coming here. I really had a horrible experience that changed my outlook on the medical community. The physician that I first saw (back in February of 2014) doesn’t work there anymore fortunately but I was seen by others that still do work there. When I first came in for my back it had already been hurting a while but the physician basically blew me off. She asked the basic emergency questions that Dr’s ask about backs and that was it. When I was about to tell her what was going on she cut me off and said «these things tend to just get better on their own». Uh, okay. I was about to tell her that this has been going on a while and I think that I made it worse but she made me feel like it was trivial, whatever I had going on. She did absolutely no physical examination! If she did, she would have found something going on! She also only asked what my pain level was right then and there. I know that is standard but sitting down at the time didn’t hurt, but every other movement did! I came back a month later and told her I was still in pain and she ordered an x ray, which showed nothing (my injury was all soft tissue) so she tossed me into physical therapy without any diagnosis. Because I had no proper diagnosis I got all the wrong physical therapy (also because the physical therapist at SF General didn’t know what she was doing). After another month of it just getting worse I begged for an MRI and at first she said «that’s for people who are really messed up». Guess what, I was messed up. I just have a high pain tolerance apparently. After the MRI came back I should have been referred to a spine specialist right away and wasn’t because I was still in physical therapy and Maureen (new physician now) said it takes so long anyways that I should try and work it out with physical therapy. It kept getting worse until my body gave out on me completely. It was the worst feeling I’ve ever had in my life! I came back and they tried to get a spine appointment for me but the referral took 3 weeks and then the appointment wasn’t for another 2 and a half months. When I told Maureen that I had switched to UCSF to get a quicker spine appointment, she said, «oh good that will work out much better». I don’t know why she didn’t have me do that from the beginning and I wish I hadn’t let it get that bad. This was part my fault for not staying off of it in the beginning but looking back on this from the past year I really felt like I should write something just in case someone else has a bad back injury. I really don’t want them to go through what I went through and not get the proper care. Also, when getting an appointment there the receptionist looked like she could care less if I couldn’t get an appointment and kept trying to get an appointment with Maureen because she was my primary care. I didn’t care who I saw at that point as long as they helped out! Also, Maureen only worked there on Mondays! Why didn’t they tell me that I have know idea. There was one receptionist who realized how much pain I was in and asked her «what about Tim (the other physician)» and I got an appointment much sooner. This was a lot of bungling and not enough care put into the patients. As of now I am still dealing with my back injury and am severely limited in what I can physically do. And this is coming from someone who used to rock climb 3 days a week, bike all over the city, and hike like there was no tomorrow. Now I am happy when I am just not in any pain, which is rare. I know back injuries are complicated but the lack of compassion from that first physician and the lack of attention as far as physical examination goes is ridiculous! I have been here for other things and it worked out fine but that was with a different Dr completely. All in all Tim was really good to work with but I worked with him at the end and I wish it would have been at the beginning. Maureen is very compassionate and cared what happened to me but action needed to be taken much sooner than she made happen. That first physician (wish I new her name) sucked! She is a big reason I am the way I am, which is unfortunate but that’s how it goes. Don’t let it happen to you.

I am so grateful for this facility, and the staff are awesome! I am jobless, and HR360 takes good care of me.

I get the impression that The Haight Ashbury Free Clinic has been bought out! The way people are treated by them now is obviously not the intention of it’s original opening! The current vibe is a corporate devil!
No longer patient OR neighborhood friendly!
I had some intense pain after some OTC did not work. She booked me two weeks out! REALLY? I said «That’s TWO weeks away!!» She told me that was the earlist available appt. I asked her what I’m supposed to do??? She said I could go to General! Get real!
The phone operator sounded half asleep, ill-​trained with a bad attitude!
In the past — I was invited to drop in, same day, and wait for a NO-​Show since THAT ALWAYS HAPPENED THERE!
They don’t even offer THAT anymore? And NO drop-​in hours anymore?
It is sad to read other reviews with the same experiences!
Good luck with this dump!
Thankfully — My unemployment check came today and I will be going to the bar!

Not all doctors will provide you with adequate treatment. I have tonsillitis which has cause over 8 throat infections. In some visits, I was listened to and got the appropriate antibiotics and pain medication. In most other visits I was told I had I virus and sent home without and medications. The last time that happened, I ended up at SF General Emergency room with a golf ball size abscess on my tonsil which required surgery and very strong pain killers. If you want an appointment for an urgent situation, forget it. San Francisco General Urgent Care is you best option. If you are in serious pain, forget Haight Asbury Clinic. They will treat you like a drug addict, not even listen to your needs, and send you home with instructions to take Tylenol. Doctors both provide contradictory information and they give excuses as well as straight up lie. Never will I go here to see a healer because healers do not work here, only bureaucrats wearing doctors clothing. You’ve been warned.

Haight street isn’t bad. Their call system makes doctors hard to contact and appointments difficult to make. If your condition isn’t time sensitive it’s worth going. I’ve gotten a lot of things done here no problem and other times couldn’t get through. I believe they were going through a management change of sorts at the time I was making appointments, so for all I know it could’ve been that. I feel like I can trust the doctors and the receptionists are helpful and polite. There is certainly no scare tactics with women’s health (which I’ve experienced elsewhere) and they know what boundaries are which is cool too!

Thank you to everyone at this location for taking my fiancé in and for the warm and friendly service he received. The staff was professional and very caring. All the Clayton St. staff from the receptionist to the nurse and doctor were awesome!

I would like to sincerely thank the doctors and staff at the Haight St location. To keep it simple, I needed them, and they were there for me, and without an appointment. I know that I was lucky, but still, it was a matter of getting well, or not, for me! They are much more caring and prompt than Kaiser, and, despite my attitude (I had an upper respiratory infection and so, was probably acting like a little b****), they were kind, and got me a perscription. I can’t thank you enough Haight St. clinic! Nice to know someone’s policies aren’t wholly dictated by kickbacks and the pharmaceutical lobby.

This one is for the Mission st location. I have gone to the Haight st branch a number of times in the past and been treated very well. This new one I can walk to, so I guessed it would be the same.
It takes a very long time to get into the room (I had an appointment). I was so sick that I was falling asleep in the waiting room, so I might have been flagged as being high or something. I wasn’t.
The people I dealt with were all very cool and sweet, except for the Doctor. The forms I filled out asked a lot of sociological questions, so I expected my injury would be dealt with in context. A now ex-​friend had injured me by accident while he was on drugs, just as everything else possible was going wrong for me.
All I wanted was some amoxycillin for my injury/​infection, since I am barely able to walk. He asked me why I was crying in a very stern voice, after I had already explained. Seems he didn’t read my forms, or didn’t give a damn at all. Tough love doesn’t work for physical problems, idiot!
I was so shocked by his behavior that I couldn’t even react. If I could go back, I would turn to the intern and tell her, «You behave like a doctor, this one does not». Turns out he was a physician’s assistant.
How am I going to abuse antibiotics, anyway? I didn’t even ask for painkillers! I am so sick that I had to have friends escort me there and back.
I feel really sorry for the other reviewers who also seem to have serious conditions. Try the original location on Haight!

This review is for their Mission Street location.
Let me start off by saying that past experiences I had here 3+ years ago were always great.
However, something has gone wrong with this place… not sure if it is under new management, or the doctors are just awful but it makes me really sad. When you sort through the reviews here, the last 5 reviews are all one star, so that should tell you something.
My experience here was one of the WORST I’ve ever had at any Doctor. The wait was 2 hours. Then once I get inside the wait in the room was even longer. The guy who took my blood pressure, weight, height, etc seemed pretty clueless as to what he was doing.
Then the Doctor comes in. Keep in mind I had written a detailed description of what I was worried about, in addition to the fact that I was overdue for a simple pap smear. The first thing this guy tells me when he walks in the room is that «I’m in luck I don’t need a pap smear as they’ve changed the guidelines on them». He doesn’t ask me any questions about why I’m there or may want one. I tell him that I wish I would have been told this over the phone, and that since I was there I planned to get one. I should have just gone home.
He proceeded to check me out complete with a nurse in the room watching the whole thing then said very little to me afterward and mumbled something about receiving my test results. I asked for a referral for a concern and he laughed and goes, «oh they won’t call you for at least 6 months.»
Never going back to this location. Ever.

2 stars for pretty quick to get an appt, called tuesday, came in thurs and didnt wait more than 5 minutes in the waiting room. plus it was free. heres why:
my complaint was 3 weeks of a cough with bright yellowgreen mucus, as well as a liquidy bubbly feeling in my lungs when i breathe. and a fever the day before as it had worsened the last couple of days. i also said that 2 friends were experiencing similar symptoms and received antibiotics from their provider, and are now feeling better.
after listening to my lungs, the pa said, i think this is allergies or a virus and we’re not going to give you antibiotics. (and trust me, the reason i had symptoms for 3 weeks bc i was trying to AVOID getting antibiotics if unneeded. but it only worsened). i insisted she send in her boss, the head PA. after a quick «listen» to my lungs, he said the same thing. i was so upset at the thought of having to feel the sickness worsen i started crying. i told him i am someone in touch with my body and i can feel that it wasnt allergies. he finally gave up and wrote me a scrip for zithromyacin, basically because i demanded it.
turns out, my friends were diagnosed with lower lobar pneumonia! and they were trying to tell me to take a claritin.
time to invest in a good internist.

If you are just signing up with Healthy San Francisco and your are like so many of us working middle class who can’t afford health insurance… RUN away from Haight Ashbury Clinic on Mission Street.
You sit with ex cons, meth addicts and you get attitude from the staff. I have never in my life been treated more inhumanely that the staff at Haight Ashbury Clinic
If you are looking, check at Glide, I hear the staff there are caring there or try to get in at Kaiser. I was a client for over 2 yrs there and just switched my home clinic from Haight Clinics because of the front desk. You are treated like a second class citizen even though you are working and paying your bills. It is a club for professional non profits to work at. Dealing with them has been the worst medical care I have gotten in my life. You feel like you are doing triage in San Quentin.
RUN-​RUN-​RUN. I wonder how much money they charge the city for seeing someone who’s co-​pay is 130.00. They will bill you for the co-​pay even though you may not be able to afford it. Try to get in a Castro Misson or Kaiser… where you co-​pay is 10.00

Four/​five years ago, I tried desperately to help a friend who was a meth (ice) addict. She craved this drug so much that her life went to hell, but she couldn’t resist «her true love» ICE.
She needed someone who spoke her native language (Cantonese) becasuse her English was very limited. The answer was Haight Asbury Free Clinic where they had a specialized program for Asian American drug abusers. The staff from the case worker, doctors and pharmacist were all friendly and helpful.
I took her a couple of times, but her demons got the best of her. The case worker said, «Unfortunately, we can only help her when she is ready and wants help. You can not seek help for her. It just won’t work.» It was extremely hard to acknowledge, but over time I finally understood.
Several months later, I talked to her and she explained that she got butchered (literally) with a meat clever in Hong Kong by «an associate» — she showed me the scars to prove it. That was the last time I saw/​talked to her.
In the end, HAFC tried to help, but the patient was not ready. It was tough to see a friend waste away, but there wasn’t anything I could do. Believe me, I tried.
Bottomline, don’t do drugs.

Well to be fair I was reading the reviews and thought this would be the bast free clinic to go to for a realy uncomfortable, swolllen, could-​be-​strep-​throat.
So, i called 4 times between 1.30 and 2.30 today, wanting to make an apmt like the website mentions. After the welcome message it would say please hold you phone is in a queue, a girl/​woman with babyvoice would answer saying ‘please hold’ and it would go quiet for upto 15mins. I did this 4 times! Suffice to say, I did not go to the clinic today.
So frustrating, understaffed or rude?

I don’t get sick very often but a couple of weeks ago I had a pretty bad cough and sinus infection, and I needed antibiotics. I hadn’t signed up for Healthy SF yet, so I called the clinic and they got me an appointment for the next afternoon (not bad for flu season!)
Based on my income they asked for $ 130 for the visit. I almost coughed up a lung. What do they charge people who aren’t on unemployment? I told them that my expenses far outweigh my income, and that I couldn’t pay for the visit.
This clinic WILL NOT TURN ANYONE AWAY FOR INABILITY TO PAY.
They were very nice. My wait was only about 10 minutes past my appointment time. The RN who saw me gave me a scrip for antibiotics (which I did have to pay for, but the generic was only about $ 35 with my AAA discount). My symptoms eased over the next couple of days, so I’m really glad I went.
Thanks to all the staff and volunteers who make this type of service possible!

«Haight ashbury free clinic?»
«Hi, I’m having a medical issue, don’t have insurance, and wanted to see someone?»
«Um we are actually closed to intake»
«What’s that mean?»
«We don’t take new patients. Try to google soma health center they may be able to take you»
«Um okay… thanks»

That time of year for my annual TB test for school records, so I head over to the «free» clinic on Clayton and Haight. I called for an appointment and they got me in quick, within two days actually. Arrived and they had me fill out paperwork, which ended up delaying my appointment by a half hour. Somewhat annoying, but the efficiency of the appointment itself over-​rode the delay. I was taken back, given the shot, and we were done. They then charged me $ 10. They don’t take credit cards, so beware. Need to return on Friday for the follow up, which thankfully won’t take more than a minute.
I will say, and no offense, I had to disinfect after getting home. But they provide an amazing service and their work is well appreciated!

They saved my life.
And I mean that literally. They got me to the hospital 13 times, and just in time, each time.
Every time I realize that I am still walking on this planet it is because of their staff and facility. From the doctors, nurses, receptionist, medical assistants, phlebotomy, acupuncturists, chiropractors and the staff in medical records… 9 operations later, I am still enjoying my body and my new lease on life. Thank you.

When I moved to San Francisco a little over 2 years ago with no job, no insurance, and no money, I was a little frightened. Then I got sick, and I was TERRIFIED.
Until I met just about anyone at HAFMC. I had blood tests, acupuncture, Chinese herbs, and the undying support of a rockin’ woman named Sharon, who listened and made the kind of comments like she cared — and she really did. And *then* I got some help getting prescription medications, too! They were absolutely amazing. It took time to get all of this coordinated, but they made it work — and I saw the effort they put into it. Felt the love. Big time.
And now I have insurance with a certain very large HMO, and even though the facilities are pristine, I still sometimes long for the «grittiness» of the clinic and the whirr and buzz of Haight St I could hear below while laid out for acupuncture. I miss the real-​ness of it.
So, PROPS to the quirky receptionists, to the morning acupuncture group who sit around the lobby and discuss just about anything with their ears looking like pin cushions (it’s an unusual sight), to the doctors and social workers who do pro bono work there, to the bathroom keys, and to all the people who now support it with their time and/​or dollars.
It’s an immensely special place.

Being from the exotic land of Canadia, I get free health care.
Well, apparently that would apply if I WAS there.: /​
Since I’ve been in and out of my country for long periods of time over the last few years, I am actually considered a non Canadian anymore, or an expat.
No more free health care for me.
So when I found myself running out of asthma medication earlier this year, I started to panic and actually gave myself an asthma crisis just thinking that I did not have inhaler anymore, that I needed to see a doctor, that it would cost like 3 trillion dollars, that I would be ruined, that I would be deported, that Canada would not want me back with that much debt, that the USA would not want me either being so bankrupt, that I would be left to death on the border…
I then decided to try the free clinic, really hoping that they could help me. I waited in line gratefully, and saw a helpful doctor, gave a more then deserved donation and left with new medication and a prescription to get more if I was to run out of it again.
It really felt like home. Well almost. At least the free health care.
I could not be more thankful for this place.