Program Description

The Al Hirschfeld Free Health Clinic provides free health care to uninsured and underinsured documented entertainment industry professionals between the ages of 18 to 64.

Located in New York City at The Aurora, the Hirschfeld Clinic offers urgent care, primary and specialty care with low cost referrals to a wide range of specialty clinics and practitioners. Dr. James Spears, the Clinic’s Medical Director, oversees a team of general practitioners and specialists who volunteer their time to provide free medical care to the entertainment community.  All lab tests as well as other services provided at the Clinic are free.

The Al Hirschfeld Free Health Clinic, along with The Actors Fund’s Health Insurance Resource Center also provides onsite health insurance counseling and assistance in enrolling qualified patients into Pharmaceutical Drug Assistance Programs. 

The Clinic works closely with all the social service programs offered by The Actors Fund and  also provides information about  services and programs offered elsewhere. Free mammogram services are available monthly in collaboration with the Women’s Outreach Network. The Hirschfeld Clinic also sponsors an annual free flu shot event for the entire entertainment community.

The Clinic works closely with BWAY (Better Wellness And You) Coalition of Broadway and other entertainment organizations to offer health fairs for the industry throughout the year.

Urgent care is available to insured industry members.

Eligibility

To receive services at the Al Hirschfeld Free Health Clinic you must be a part of the entertainment industry, be uninsured or underinsured, and be within the ages of 18-64. You must either have an active membership in an entertainment union or be able to provide supporting documentation of your employment in the entertainment industry.

If you are 39 years old or younger, proof of employment in the entertainment industry means being able to show earnings of $3,000 per year in at least two out of the last five years. If you are between 40- 64 years of age, you must be able to show entertainment industry earnings of $3,000 per year in at least three out of the last eight years. Acceptable documents are: union card, original and signed, tax returns listing your profession as an entertainment professional. This must be accompanied by 1099 and W2 forms, pay stubs/contract stating profession as an entertainment professional, substantiated by printed publications such as playbills, newspaper or magazine reviews.

Contact

To make an appointment, call 212.489.1939, Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. When you call, you should be prepared to briefly discuss the nature of your medical concern, as well as your qualifications under the eligibility criteria.

The Al Hirschfeld Free Health Clinic is located at 475 West 57th Street on the corner of 10th Avenue in Manhattan. Two blocks west of Columbus Circle, it  is easily reached via public transportation. The Clinic does not accept walk-ins. 

The clinic has an on-call service for its patients when the Clinic is closed, in collaboration with the Department of Family Medicine of Columbia University.