Tom Waddell Health Center

if you come here you’ll be treated like a tenderloin drug addict, because that’s what they’re used to dealing with… many other options for free medical tests in the city.

I needed to get a TB test for a new job, and thanks to Unilocal,I found out about this place. I can’t believe how quickly the test was done — I was in and out within about fifteen minutes! The building isn’t anything fancy, but who cares? The free testing, helpful staff and fast processing time more than compensate. It’s nice to see that homeless people have access to quality care. This would be a great place to donate money to, for those who are able to do so!

if your about to die in the street go to tom waddell, otherwise avoid this clinic at all costs.
medical staff is grossly incompetent and lacks basic equipment necessary for any medical facility.
examination tools are not regularly cleaned between patients (take a good look at the gunk on the O2 sensor when they put it on your finger).
Be advised that you’re not speaking to doctors but physician assistants and nurse practitioners who passed their med school exams with a C-​. They’re incapable of diagnosing even the most common conditions. If you’re not there to refill your pain medication or psych drugs you’re not going to get any help because that’s the only business TW does. Collecting government funds for providing Little or no actual medical care.
If the triage staff spent half the time working that they do making small talk with other staff members the overall efficiency would probably double or triple.

Next week I am volunteering at a public school and I needed a TB test. I searched on Unilocal for «Free TB test.» The searched yielded AITC Immunization & Travel Clinic at the corner of Grove and Polk in Civic Center. I called and someone on the phone said, «Come on down.» When I arrived, I found out that the skin TB test was $ 45 and the blood TB test was $ 125. I asked about a free TB test and the people behind the desk reluctantly told me that around the corner was the Tom Waddell Health Center where I could get the TB test for free.
I walked around the corner, into an alley, and walked into the double door clinic. I checked in with registration, I saw the administrator immediately afterwards, I sat in the waiting room for a few moment, and then the kindest nurse drew my blood (no bruising– she found the vein easily, and I was out of there within 20 minutes.
Everybody who worked there was really sweet. The yellowing, decaying interior looked like an insane asylum that made me feel like I was stepping back into the 1940s but everybody there knew their job and I got what I needed without a long wait.
I went back a few days later to pick up the test results. If you are wondering: the nurse told me that the clinic didn’t do skin TB tests because the demographic that usually came to the clinic tended to not return within the window for the nurse to read the results of the skin test. So, the clinic only does the blood TB test. Same deal… I got in and out within 20 minutes.
Overall, a great experience. I had thought that getting a free TB test was as routine to SF Public Health as voting polls. If I had to do it again, I would just make an appointment with my physician and skipped the Tom Waddell Health Center because I felt that I was talking time and money away from those who are in more need. Nevertheless, I had a wonderful adventure.

Negatively DIRE, Insignificant, Tom Waddell was the WORST possible choice I could have ever made for Healthcare. TERRIBLE! My experience here was horrible — all over the course of five months of which I sorely regret. I needed to get connected to a PCP who could refer me to Psychiatry, Urology and Gastroenterology and Tom Waddell failed me MISERABLY, and did not do their job at providing me any kind of decent medical services.
The Clinic itself is compromised; in harms way in the Tenderloin. For example, at registration you have to shout through holes in a security glass. Staff that work here are cold, unfriendly, and insincere. They are also unprofessional and uncommunicative. They lack compassion, respect, and dignity for their patients. They also appear unprofessional by the way that they dress, completely inappropriately for the medical industry. You would never guess they are working in the medical field based on the clothes that they wear. Tom Waddell is always incredibly chaotic, crowded, noisy, and frightening.
Tom Waddell primarily works with the Homeless population, uninsured patients, & with those unable to afford healthcare. Coming here is just like going to a Social Services office such as the one on 8^th & Mission. I would never recommend them or their Urgent Care Services. They are constantly changing things, have an extremely high turnover both in staff and ‘patients’ and this adds to their unreliability.
I am glad to have moved on and found State-​of-​the-​art Medical Care, to meet my neexs; and elected a new Provider and medical network. Now that I’ve insurance and medical coverage, I can afford better high quality medical care, and I recommend that you do the same.

In May 2014 my neighbor needed a podiatrist but found none that take MediCal. We eventually got a list from another clinic. We noticed that a selfless doc. works at several sliding-​scale clinics and caught up with him here. I called the clinic about dropping in; she said there were no appointments available but spoke with another employee and told me if my friend comes early, maybe the doctor could see him. The experience was wonderful, after a short wait he saw the doctor and my neighbor was on the way to further tests and life-​saving surgery.

Urgemnt care rules– but don’t sign up for primary care at 230 golden gate. Long waits with not the best service. Avoid it. Choose Kaiser or Blue Cross

This clinic gets dinked one star for being ugly as hell and having «meh» admin staff.
I’ve had care here for a couple of years now by multiple professionals. Margaret Farny RN (get a hold of this woman for OBOT) Kim Lynch (awesome counselor) Dr. Ann Dallman (best primary physician I have had, but she is no longer at this clinic) and Finally Dr. Doug Price-​Hansen — One of the few kind, competent Mental Health Docs left in the City — A medical-​Psychiatric dynamo.
These people should be cloned, they have been my lifeline at times. Be patient with this clinic if you go. I think the staff Docs are there to serve the community though they are well qualified to run swank private practices downtown. Urgent Care is hit or miss with wait times, and if you have an appt with one of the MD’s expect your doc to be 15 – 30 min behind. They serve a lot of poor people and is the go-​to clinic for transgendered HIV patients.
I am a Non-​trans Female, mostly straight, and HIV neg — this is a good clinic for anyone who isn’t hung up on superficial things like wait room chairs and reading material.

For Transgender Clinic, don’t take a number at Triage. Walk in a ways, then turn right down the long hallway. Be brave: this clinic serves a diverse group. And the receptionists at TC were insensitive to my emotional crisis, so be tough too. The social workers will take good care of you once you’re in.
This clinic serves only SF County residents.