In an effort to expand low- or no-cost, community-centered health care, Ypsilanti’s Bloodroot Herb Shop has launched a monthly community clinic offering herbal health support, basic care, and connections to additional resources. Bloodroot founder, herbalist, and doula Alex Crofoot says the clinic builds on her passion for mutual aid work and a longstanding vision to integrate free care into her shop’s broader model.
“I’ve been doing mutual aid work for over 10 years, and it was always the plan to have free clinics be part of what the shop offers,” Crofoot says. “But I had to figure out how to do that in a way that felt sustainable and didn’t risk taking something away from the community later.”
The clinic operates on a “parallel care” philosophy, positioning herbalism alongside conventional medicine. Crofoot emphasizes that the goal is not to replace traditional health care, but to help fill gaps many people experience in the current health care system…