Tampa, FL – The USF Health BRIDGE Clinic received $3,000 from the Rotary Club of Temple Terrace on Sept. 20 at the Morsani Center for Advanced Healthcare on the University of South Florida campus.

The funds were raised as a part of the Rotary’s Craft Brewfest, an annual charity benefit held in May at Temple Terrace’s Woodmont Park. BRIDGE Clinic students volunteered at the event, which more than 1,000 attended. In addition to the USF Health BRIDGE Clinic, the proceeds supported Polio Plus, CAIR Flight charitable airlifts, and Shelter Box disaster relief. The next Brewfest event is scheduled for May 13, 2017.

Now in its ninth year, the student-run BRIDGE Clinic provides free medical care on Tuesday evenings to more than 850 underserved patients each year from the University Community Area. USF Health students and attending physicians donate more than 13,500 volunteer hours annually, at an estimated benefit of more than $1 million in health care services.

“As important as the clinic has become to those in the University Area Community, it is of equal importance to USF Health students,” said Kristin Prewitt, executive student director of the BRIDGE Clinic and an MD/MPH student. “The clinic provides hands-on experience with a focus on compassionate care and collaboration as we work with student volunteers from several areas of study including medicine, public health, physical therapy, social work and pharmacy.”

Representatives from the Rotary Club of Temple Terrace and the USF Health BRIDGE Clinic gathered for the $3,000 check presentation. Four of the Rotarians are connected to USF Health: Dr. Charles Mahan (dean emeritus of the College of Public Health), Dr. John Malone (professor emeritus of pediatrics), Dr. Nick Hall (professor of nursing), and Dr. Kathleen Armstrong (professor of pediatrics).