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Bobby Tsang (right) a fourth-year medical student, checks out James Terry III, a patient at Mobil

Some ask for vitamins, others seek a medical exam, and still others look for a friendly ear to listen to their troubles.

Bringing an array of health concerns, members of the homeless and low-income population of West Hollywood come to Mobile Clinic – a weekly drop-in health service run by UCLA students.

In the fading evening light, undergraduate and medical school students cheerfully dole out socks, hygiene kits and vitamin packets to those who just want to stop by.

Other clients sign in to receive an evening’s worth of care: a lengthy conversation with undergraduate caseworkers detailing their medical history and current living situation, an exam performed by medical school students, and possibly medication prescribed by the attending physician or a referral for medical services elsewhere.

Situated just outside a parking lot on a quiet street, Mobile Clinic offers non-emergency care for those who otherwise might not be able to find it.

A few tents, a truckload of medications and clothes, boxes of medical records and a large group of student volunteers and community members turn the usually quiet corner of Sycamore Avenue and Romaine Street into a lively meeting place every Wednesday evening.

Student volunteers agree that the most important thing Mobile Clinic offers is a consistent, safe environment where they can share their life stories – something they can’t find elsewhere.

“Here they can talk comfortably about anything. ... Most importantly, they have friends,” said Rakhsita Satyarthi, a fourth-year biology student who joined Mobile Clinic at the beginning of last year.

“So many people in the community ignore them,” she said. “Here they feel like they’re actually people.”

Sharing personal troubles and life experiences can greatly improve a person’s well-being, said Voltaire Sinigayan, a coordinator of Mobile Clinic and second-year student in the Drew/UCLA Medical Education Program.

“Just talking about your life and experiences is a great tool in medicine,” he said.

The importance of reliable emotional support Mobile Clinic provides for this underserved population keeps Sinigayan coming back every week.

“A lot of times they don’t get to talk about their life, their current situation,” he said. “We really sit down and listen to their story.”

Mobile Clinic is part of the student-run Mobile Clinic Project at UCLA, which aims to provide street-based health and social services to underprivileged populations in Los Angeles. It began in 2000 as a partner of the Greater West Hollywood Food Coalition, which serves food to the homeless every night on the same street.

Undergraduate students who participate in Mobile Clinic enroll in a UCLA class intended to give them a foundation of knowledge about providing service for at-risk populations.

Students in Community Health 187 are trained as caseworkers and learn about the people they serve to supplement their hands-on experience gained at Mobile Clinic and partner programs.

In addition to Mobile Clinic, students can volunteer with Common Ground – a youth drop-in clinic that runs on Tuesday evenings in Santa Monica – or with the Food Coalition.

Student volunteers said they work with 10 to 15 clients each week. A number of other clients come to pick up hygiene kits containing items such as toothbrushes, soap, vitamins and socks.

Clients said they appreciate the devotion students have to providing a positive environment for them.

“The whole staff is fabulous. ... They are unbelievably friendly and thorough,” said Alan Razen, as two medical students began examining his mouth. Alan has been frequenting Mobile Clinic for the past six months.

Mobile Clinic gives students interested in health care a perspective on the public health care system that is different from one they might gain volunteering in a hospital or clinic.

People often come to the clinic with health issues that are difficult to address because they do not have access to basic remedies.

“You can’t tell (clients) to rest, stay warm and drink orange juice with a simple cold,” Satyarthi said. “They have no resources.”

Community members come to the clinic with an array of social and health issues, many of which volunteers say cannot be fixed until clients are ready to help themselves.

“You can’t solve their problems. It’s frustrating, but a more realistic look on health care,” Satyarthi said.

People requiring serious medical attention are referred to the emergency room or given a referral to a specialized clinic, along with a map and bus tokens to assure they can get there.

Traveling from Westwood to an area of West Hollywood hidden behind large businesses and fancy storefronts, students said they gain a new perspective on an often misunderstood population.

Satyarthi said that before working with Mobile Clinic, she held a typical view of homeless people. She assumed their situation was a result of personal choices, probably involving drug or alcohol abuse.

Her belief was shattered when she met her first client last year, who was a college graduate and was homeless because of a string of bad luck involving layoffs and family issues.

“These people are people and they’re a lot more like me than I thought previously,” she said.

Though Mobile Clinic boasts a large number of student volunteers, Sinigayan said he often has trouble finding doctors from the medical school to volunteer their time as attending physicians.

“One of the most challenging aspects of coordinating the program ... is finding those few doctors who are willing to come out and volunteer,” he said.