Cabrini Clinic: On the Frontlines Since 1834

Discover Detroit’s best kept secret: the oldest free clinic in America with a commitment to doing the right thing.

(1:12) In 1834, America’s first free clinic — and Detroit’s first hospital — was established to help those who’d contracted cholera. 100 years later, it became the Cabrini Clinic, a clinic focused on serving the poorest of the poor.

(3:27) Nurse Practitioner Alisa Smith gives an example of how far patients come for help at Cabrini Clinic, Executive Director Tawana Neetles-Robinson shares how volunteer-based the clinic is, and we learn about the wide range of services they provide.

(5:32) Former Executive Director Sr. Mary Ellen Howard talks about the clinic’s founder, Fr. Clement Kern, and his vision for the clinic and commitment to serving the blue-collar community.

(8:12) Neetles-Robinson discusses the effect the pandemic had on the clinic and how they were still able to rise to the occasion, not canceling even a single clinical session and remaining dedicated to their patients. She talks about the outreach the clinic did to ensure that patients with chronic conditions still received the care they needed.

(12:38) Smith and Neetles-Robisnon share some of the successes of their outreach efforts, including a recent increase in patients coming to the clinic for care, and Smith reaffirms the compassionate nature of Cabrini Clinic, a place that strives, in Fr. Kern’s image, to always do the right thing.

Reporting by Daniel Meloy; narration by Casey McCorry; production by Ron Pangborn

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