Order of Malta Oakland Clinic

Some of the staff are volunteer workers and they are so friendly and nice. I can’t believe it’s a clinic which provide free health service to uninsured people, because the clinic looks so well maintained. Thank you so much for providing services to people who can’t afford healthcare.

I recently became a patient at The Order of Malta Clinic in Oakland and I could not be more satisfied with the service I have received. To be sure, I had some pretty low expectations of what my experience would be at this «free» clinic. I could not have been more wrong.
The staff of Nurses and Doctors here are friendly and very respectful of their patients. There is not that sense of diminishment to your personhood that you can experience when you are in need of a service you cannot pay for. I got a deep sense that these folks enjoy what they do and genuinly care about folks in need.
Everyone was professional and I sat no longer than 15minutes in the waiting area before being called for an intake assessment, which was done in a friendly and timely manner. I felt valued as a person by everyone I encountered including the Dr. I think that something must be said for the maturity of the staff as well. There are no 12 year olds working here and I am very grateful for that. These are experienced and I would guess many are retired health care professionals. They obviously care about the quality of care they provide. These are old school professionals with a deep work ethic who pride themselves on the quality of care they provide. This a quality I appreciate very much.
Upon seeing the Dr., I was given a thorough exam in which he took his time asking questions and answering my questions, as he made reasonable suggestions. Since my blood pressure was higher than is good, he ordered medication which I was able to purchase at a discounted cost. In addition I was able to have some preventive lab screenings, a Pap screening, mammogram and chest Xray as well. None of these are possible when you lack health insurance as some like myself still do. I owe a deep debt of gratitude to The Order of Malta Clinic folks who provide this service to the uninsured of Oakland.
Thank You.

I called this clinic last week and left two messages. Still no return call. Forget it. If they can’t return phone calls, I seriously wonder how much they care about people in need.

I have been a patient at The Order of Malta Cilnic in Oakland, for over two years. This clinic is such a kind and caring place. These professionals have taken good care of me when I have needed medical attention. They have also made sure I have had proper preventative care; such as lab work, mammograms, paps, and have scheduled all follow-​ups to any existing medical conditions, that I would not have been able to obtain otherwise, with my uninsured status.
These important, life saving screenings have always been offered to me, I have never had to ask.
I am very grateful and appreciative of this clinic, and to the doctors and nurses who dedicate their time in helping the uninsured. THANK YOU Order of Malta, along with Cathedral of Christ the Light, for having such a great group of professionals serving those less fortunate.

They do not take drop ins. Appointments are booked 6 – 8 weeks out.
They do not offer urgent care, appts are for on going/​pre existing conditions, per the receptionist.
She did give me 2 options for drop in service, so for that she gets a couple stars.
I feel uninformed/​misled by their website. But I’m sick so the frustration is amplified. Meh

I have recently moved to the area from Pittsburgh, PA and I have yet to find work in the area that provides health insurance. I was surprised to find The Order of Malta online. I was skeptical about a free/​volunteer health practitioner-​ed facility but after reading the other favorable Unilocal reviews, I decided to try it. Being a health care provider myself, I have to say I was impressed.
My intake assessment was done by a friendly, fully competent RN, i did not have to wait in the waiting room more than 15 minutes before being called for my intake. The doctors were running a a little bit late getting to the office which is nothing out of the ordinary for any doctors office, but another member of the staff kindly alerted me to the delay and also told me that I would be seen very soon. I appreciate that the staff cared enough to let the patients know about the delay and that I was seen soon after as promised. The doctor provided a very thorough and focused assessment of my problem, asked me appropriate questions to aid in his diagnosis and plan of care, and followed with a very compassionate and relaxed question and answer session to make sure that I understood his treatment plan for the problem. He did not rush through to get to the next patient and he also provided me with specific things I could do at home to facilitate the healing process. The staff on hand alerted me to a number of pharmacies in the area who offered discounts to those who are uninsured.
I have worked for one of the leading health care giants in this nation and I can’t speak much for the cleanliness, at times, or the compassion of the staff. This place deserves recognition for the dignified and professional care they provide. I would highly recommend.

It’s hard to believe that there are still health care organizations out there that genuinely care about people. The Order of the Malta is a wonderful facility that helps anyone uninsured. The senior partner of my firm does Pro bono work for the Knights of the Malta so I am constantly crossing paths with the retired doctors, humanitarians and staff from the clinic. They are the sweetest people I’ve ever met.
I don’t say this about everyone I meet because believe me, I’m aware that in every system there are those that are «just doing a job» but these people are so committed to serving the community.
They are polite, respectful, patient and exceptionally organized for a free clinic. The prescription costs are more than affordable and that’s if they don’t have it to give to you free on hand.
The hours are tricky and it’s best to make an appointment but honestly I’d rather go to see these doctors then any current ones I have to pay for.
Just be honest, don’t visit if you do have health insurance if you are not sincerely in need.
This week they are giving free flu shots 10:00 am to 12:00 pm and 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm.

This place is great. It’s a very professionally run, shiny, clean, quiet and helpful doctor’s office for people who can’t afford to pay for those usually middle-​class luxuries. And you don’t have to pay, because it is FREE. They will even get you deals on prescriptions so they cost as little as possible. It’s a great deal all around.
My husband was treated with respect and dignity during his visit and we would both definitely go here again.
Appointments can be a couple weeks out, so don’t wait until your complaint is a total emergency. It’s always easier to cancel an appointment if your symptoms go away than get in quickly, though they WILL do their best to accommodate you.
Found Liz B.‘s information extremely helpful and accurate when booking the hubby’s appointment, so check out her review!

I love this place. It’s clean. Easy to find, just make sure to enter on the cross street. I parked in the garage below. All the doctors and nurses are friendly and caring, the front desk staff is efficient, and as someone who is thousands of dollars in debt for medical bills without insurance, I was SO GRATEFUL for being able to receive care for free (didn’t even pay a cent for the followup tests they ordered).

Liz B and Bosco H, way to be soft on a volunteer clinic. Just b/​c they aren’t paid doesn’t mean quality has to go down the drown. But w/​e, I couldn’t care less; Bosco with his snarky attitude and Lizzy both obviously had different experiences.

*** BRIEF UPDATE May 12, 2011: I have been going to this clinic on a regular basis for more than a year. I still love it. My doctor (Jacques Hirschler) is fabulous. The care is terrific. They all continue to treat me as a valued client. ***
Anyone who complains about this clinic needs to go to Highland Hospital for a little comparison shopping.
The Order of Malta Clinic is lovely, clean, friendly, efficient and compassionate. Every person who works there — including the doctors and nurses — volunteers their time out of the kindness of their heart. I think they are angels. You would, too, if you’d been without health insurance and had been treated with suspicion, pity, and condescension at Highland — and then required to pay ridiculous fees for the privilege (unless you’re on Medi-​Cal).
I’ve now had three appointments at the Order of Malta Clinic. I can say without reservation that it is a wonderful clinic, serving a need that Alameda County has ducked. I have nothing but gratitude and praise for this clinic and its staff.
This is a long review because I’ve tried to address all the things I want to know about a doctors office before I go. Hopefully the headings will make it easy for you to find what you need.
FINDING THE CLINIC
This clinic is right on the corner of 21^st and Harrison. so it couldn’t be easier to find, despite one reviewer’s complaint to the contrary. The address tells you where it is: 2121 Harrison. Very simple. The door is on 21^st Street; it has a big red cross on it with a sign that says Order of Malta Clinic. I spotted it from a stoplight on Harrison, so it couldn’t be that hard to see.
PARKING
This is the only drawback. It’s tough to find a parking spot on the street. There is a garage in the same building as the clinic, but there’s no validation or discount. I always park there anyway and have spent an average of $ 6 each time — a small price to pay for free medical care.
PUBLIC TRANSIT
It’s a short walk (6 blocks) from the 19^th Street BART station. Take BART or any bus that goes to that station. AC Transit lines 11 and 12 stop at Grand and Harrison; walk one long block from there.
HOURS
The clinic is open Mondays and Wednesdays, 8:30am-noon, 1 – 4 pm; Fridays from 8:30am-noon.
ATMOSPHERE
This is a very small, modern clinic. The building is lovely; it’s part of the new Cathedral of Christ the Light on Lake Merritt in Oakland. I’ve never seen more than 6 to 8 people at a time in the waiting room. That may be because they see almost all patients by appointment. It’s just like any really nice private doctor’s waiting room — clean, cheerful, lots of magazines to read. The people who work at the front desk are really nice to everybody. Most of the patients are people who have lost their jobs and no longer have health insurance.
REGISTRATION
There’s no complicated registration procedure. You are asked to fill out a very simple medical history and that’s it. No long eligibility procedures or appointments with financial counselors, like at Highland. They do not ask about your income. The only requirement is that you do not have any health insurance; you can’t have Medi-​Cal, Medicare or anything like that.
WAIT TIME
I’ve never had to wait more than 10 to 15 minutes to be seen by a nurse and then maybe another 10 to 15 minutes to be put into an exam room. Sometimes the doctors are busy and there can be another short wait to be seen by them. This is actually shorter than private doctor’s offices, where the average total wait time is 44 minutes, according to industry research reported by Dr. Ian Furst at
– and according to my own experience back when I did have health insurance. People who complain about having to wait to see a doctor at the Order of Malta Clinic either have no idea how long wait times are in the private sector or they walked in without an appointment, something you can never do in the private sector.
DOCTORS
I have seen a couple of doctors there, and I liked them both. They try to keep you with the same doctor if they can. My first doctor told me that he was retiring from the clinic, so they gave me another one the next time. They treated me for my illness, but also asked me to set up an appointment for a complete physical, including lab tests, mammograms, etc. They are thorough and caring.
PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS:
The clinic is no longer able to provide expensive prescription medications for free, but they will do their best to help you get it.
I have asthma, so the medications I need are very expensive. I now get my Flovent and Ventolin inhalers free from GlaxoSmithKline through their patient assistance program, Bridges to Access:
. Your annual income must be at or under around $ 27,000 to be eligible.
Other big pharma patient assistance programs (free meds) can be found at
.