 What can you get the woman who has everything? When Paul Miller thought about his wife Connie's upcoming 80th birthday, he wanted more than a birthday cake. He wanted to honor her legacy of community and family support, often standing in the wings as he took the spotlight in his community leadership roles. "I saw that the Free Clinic had an opportunity to sponsor a room and I thought That's perfect. Connie agreed to it, as long as we included both of our names."
Fred Bauermeister, Executive Director, and Julie Henszey, Director of Development, gave a tour to Connie and Paul, letting them view all of the available options for room sponsorship. They chose a medical exam room, one of five where doctors see patients. "Paul and Connie have been strong supporters of the Free Clinic for many years," Fred stated. "They are the kind of people that show their love through service and financial support for the community. I am always touched by their concern for others." Empathy is often the driving force guiding community movers and shakers to support families with nowhere else to turn. The Free Clinic has been filling this gap for over fifty years. Annual, renewable sponsorships are available for $4000 per year. Sponsors choose the length of time that fits with their overall goals. Thank you to Connie and Paul for their commitment to creating and sustaining a healthy community.
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 The Annual Fredrick Michael Gibson 5K/10K & Half Marathon for Depression Awareness takes place Sunday, October 12 at Rancho Simi Community Park, located at 1765 Royal Ave in Simi Valley. Cash awards — ranging from $100 to $500 — will be awarded to winners of each distance. Participants can also enjoy a pancake breakfast afterwards courtesy of the "Y's Men" from Simi Valley YMCA. The Vitalant Bloodmobile will be at the event taking donations. Learn more about the event here.
Event Times 7:00am – Half Marathon Starts 8:15 am – 5K/10K Runners Start *NEW START TIME* 8:20 am – 5K/10K Walkers Start 9:30AM – Kids Run Starts  The Free Clinic has installed a battery that stores solar energy both for everyday use and in the event of an extended outage. Crisis response organization Direct Relief gifted the battery and installation — to the tune of $250,000 — just as it has done for clinics around the world to ensure reliable healthcare services can continue to be provided during a crisis.
This complements the 135 solar panels installed on the roof in 2024 and funded through a $165,000 grant from Direct Relief. That project has allowed the Free Clinic to cover nearly 100% of the its electricity needs and officially be net zero for carbon emissions. The Free Clinic project was the first Power for Health Initiative project completed at a free or charitable clinic in the mainland United States. Executive Director Fred Bauermeister is excited. "When combined, the solar and battery projects not only strengthen our resilience against power outages – an ever more common occurrence in our area – but it also aligns with our commitment to protecting the health of our environment.”  As Darrin moves heavy branches and food barrels — preparing dinner for the Silverback Gorilla at the Los Angeles Zoo — he is grateful to move freely without pain.
To supplement his income from his part-time zoo job, Darrin was working construction in 2024, lifting bags of concrete and 4x8s, when he injured his back. He immediately worried about keeping his zoo job — work requiring a lot of squatting and deadlifting — and staying on his career path for exotic animal management. His construction employer did not want to provide assistance. “I asked my boss for help and she ignored my needs.” With nowhere else to turn, Darrin came to the Free Clinic of Simi Valley and learned he needed weeks of physical therapy. One physical therapist, named Alberto, was instrumental in providing Darrin with the care he needed to fully recover. “Alberto went out of his way to give me the tools I needed to get better. To this day, I have all the notes he sent home with me. He really wanted me to fully recover.” With advice for overall health, including diet and supplements, Alberto dispensed information and support that was critical in Darrin’s healing journey. “I didn’t think I could keep my job but Alberto was there for me. P.S. Thank you to Alberto for showing empathy and support on Darrin’s healing journey.  Join us to learn how the Free Clinic helps community members find better health and happiness. Buy tickets to attend our one-hour, casual event on June 2 and 4. Do you want to put your empathy into action? Do you feel empathy for those who are dealing with both health and financial hardships? Those are our clients at the Free Clinic! You can make a REAL difference in their lives. Come to our event and you will: > Help fund the medical, dental, legal, and counseling programs that address suffering > Learn how clinic supporters help Simi Valley friends and neighbors find better health and happiness > get a 10-minute tour of the building > enjoy champagne and artisan truffles made by a supporter  Emiliano walks into the clinic with his fingers crossed. Excited to complete an accelerated EMT program at Simi Institute in two weeks, he has learned that he needs to submit medical paperwork by tomorrow or he will not be allowed to participate in the final phase of the program. This paperwork includes both a physical exam performed by a doctor and proof of immunity to specific communicable diseases.
His classmate James had mentioned that he went to the Free Clinic of Simi Valley a month earlier to complete his paperwork. Now — with James at his side — Emiliano approaches the front desk and explains his situation to the staff. Sympathetic to his need, they perform a physical exam within half an hour. Emiliano then returns the next day for lab work to check for immunity. If not for the generous help of the staff, Emiliano would have been stuck with no good options. He remarks to the staff, “I don’t know what I would have done without your help. You saved me.” The staff had a chance to ask Emiliano why he wants to be an EMT. He explained that he will be able to help someone on their worst day. And that matters to him. At the Free Clinic of Simi Valley, we couldn’t agree more. Showing up for others is a reward in and of itself. P.S. A shout out to Dr. Perel and Medical Administrator Julie Brizuela for their expedited assistance to Emiliano.  March 1, 2025, we celebrate the 54th year of service to the Simi Community. We have outlasted Sears, HomeBase, PriceClub, Borders, Circuit City, Linens ‘n Things, CompUSA — all companies from the 1970's. We are thriving and keeping Simi Valley residents happy and healthy with dental, medical, legal, and counseling services!!
Read more about the history and achievements of the Free Clinic here.  Framing for cement never looked so good!
The Free Clinic is excited to install a battery to store solar energy in the event of an extended outage. Crisis response organization Direct Relief has gifted the battery and installation — to the tune of $250,000 — just as it has done for clinics around the world to ensure reliable healthcare services can continue to be provided during a crisis. This complements the 135 solar panels installed on the roof in 2024 and funded through a $165,000 grant from Direct Relief. That project has allowed the Free Clinic to cover nearly 100% of the its electricity needs and officially be net zero for carbon emissions. The Free Clinic project was the first Power for Health Initiative project completed at a free or charitable clinic in the mainland United States. Executive Director Fred Bauermeister is excited. "When combined, the solar and battery projects not only strengthen our resilience against power outages – an ever more common occurrence in our area – but it also aligns with our commitment to protecting the health of our environment.” The work is expected to be completed in the new few weeks.  The Free Clinic welcomes Julie Henszey on board as a new Director of Development. Julie is the first person to fill this newly-created role. She brings experience with fundraising from groups such as Oxnard-based Friends of Fieldworkers, as well as Marquette University in Wisconsin. The Free Clinic has created the role to best position itself for future support from the surrounding community.
"I am excited to be here. The Free Clinic of Simi Valley is an anchor in the Simi Valley community and provides vital services to children and families who are uninsured or underinsured. I can't think of a better fit between my values and the Clinic's service model." Julie grew up in the Midwest and moved to Ventura in the fall of 2019. Her resume includes working with frontline communities to control pollution exposure and advocating for more individuals at the leadership table who represent communities disproportionately impacted by climate change. Fred Bauermeister, Executive Director of the Free Clinic, said that he is excited to work with Julie as she "brings experience, excitement, and enthusiasm to insure the future of our programs and services."  Our clinic is fortunate to include a large group of volunteers, staff, and board members who are like family. Once a year, we gather to celebrate our commitment to the Free Clinic and sense of fulfillment in serving the community. We are proud of our work and the happy to be doing the work together.
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