In 1967, young people from across the country swarmed into San Francisco. Drawn by a powerful potion of music, sex, and drugs, the panhandle of Golden Gate Park, and the Haight Ashbury neighborhood became a petri dish for disease. One man, Dr. David Smith, stood between sickness and health. His model would introduce to the world the principle of healthcare as a right, not a privilege.
“The original principals of our free clinic were healthcare is a right, not a privilege. Free at the point of delivery of care, and free was not just an economic term, it was more of a philosophical term. Free from prejudice,” said the founder of the Haight-Ashbury Free Clinic, “Dr. Dave,” as he came to be known.
Watch the video above to hear more from Dr. Dave on how the concept was born.
TUNE IN: For our latest installment of "Bay Area Revelations: Rebels and Revolutions." The untold stories of the people, places, and events which transformed the Bay Area and shaped the nation. The stories of the women and men who stood at the epicenter of historic cultural and political shifts will be revealed, May 9 at 9 p.m. on NBC Bay Area.
