On Saturday, Sept. 14, LT is partnering with Advent Health and the University of Chicago to host a Free Clinic at SC from 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Assistant Principal Greg Gardner said. This will be the third year of the event that may continue for many years to come.

“This year, it is in the Corral,” Gardner said. “We were using gyms 1-4 and the field house, but with the construction [we decided to move] it to the Corral this year, and we will potentially next fall move it to our new commons at SC.”

This clinic is a way for the hospital to fulfill its overall mission.

“The Free Health Clinic is our way of…extending the healing ministry of Christ – directly to those who need medical care but cannot afford it,” according to the poster advertising the clinic. Advent Health oversees both the La Grange Hospital and Hinsdale Hospital.

Since SC is near La Grange Road, 294, I-55, and 290, it is very easy to get to and has access to highways and public transportation, Gardner said. These roads make LT an ideal location for this free clinic because it is easy to get to. 

The event was originally started by La Grange Hospital and Advent Health; since then, they have merged with the University of Chicago to broaden their services. Now, all of the advertising and information about the clinic are primarily organized to look like the University of Chicago. The clinic also offers an opportunity for students who already volunteer at the hospitals to gain more experience by being at the clinic. 

“I have been volunteering [on the Hinsdale Hospital junior board] since my freshman year of high school and became the co-spiritual leader on the executive board my junior year,” Maya Patel ‘25 said. “The clinic … does have a significance to me because we are not only helping the people in our community, but also I was able to … help and watch their students as they performed cleaning on patients.”

The first year there were around 85 who showed up, and last year it was closer to 185, said Gardner. The goal is for numbers to continue to increase now that more people are becoming aware of the event. 

“It’s not just open to our community; we have families coming from all over … It is an opportunity to help people in our community that may not have [health insurance] but also provide a service to people outside of our community,” Gardner said.