Once upon a time, people could walk down the street to see their doctors, who would listen to concerns, take care of their problems and even give advice on how to stay healthy. In other instances, people would call the doctor and they would show up at their homes ready to treat them.

According to Benicia board certified family physician Dr. Clifford Hoffman, this kind of experience is distant history to today’s generation.

“The fast-paced world means people wait days or weeks to see a doctor, most visits are 10 to 15 minutes of watching the doctor frantically type into the computer, people leave not understanding the new medications or medical problems and home visits are nonexistent,” he said. “Doctors dispense ever increasing amounts of medications while explaining less and less about how to get and remain healthy.”

As a result, Hoffman has started a new, “old-school” clinic to make doctor visits personal again.

Hoffman’s clinic operates out of a space on East 2nd Street, which opened to the public in June. The goal is to allow patients to get appointments the same or next day they request them, be seen for an hour or more, receive advice on improving diets and health and even be seen at home if necessary.

“I really want to provide the best possible care to people at an affordable price,” he said. “The traditional model doesn’t really allow for this.”

Hoffman was born and raised in Benicia where he played several sports, including soccer and roller hockey. He owes much of his success to his influences in Benicia, including Carolyn Quandt, his fourth grade teacher at Mary Farmar Elementary School, who he says helped inspire a passion for learning. Other influences include his Benicia High School teachers John Dillow and Kay Reid, who showed he could succeed in math and literature; Benicia High history teacher James Garrett who “taught by example, demonstrating honor, compassion and commitment to others,” according to Hoffman; and Edwin San Nicholas; Hoffman’s Benicia Arsenal soccer coach who Hoffman says taught him the importance of “putting his teammates first, even at the expense of personal satisfaction and winning.”

Hoffman left Benicia in 2000 to study marine biology at University of California, Santa Barbara for four years with the goal of conducting science that could lead to the preservation of various ecosystems. However, his knee was injured in his senior year while playing soccer.

“This left me temporarily without the ability to do research dives or even go on a boat,” he said. “It was time to consider a new career.”

Hoffman taught high school for the next few years and traveled to Latin American countries like Brazil, Peru and Costa Rica. He credits these travels as his first real exposure to poverty and would read books such as David Bornstein’s “How to Change the World” and Tracy Kidder’s “Mountains Beyond Mountains.”

“The more I read, the more I was drawn to public health and the ability to change the lives of entire populations of people,” he said.

Around the same time, Hoffman’s childhood friend died of cancer at the age of 22.

“We had many conversations about life, love, and purpose,” he said. “After he went, it really hit home that despite having access to public health services, medical care and a supportive community, many people simply will not make it.”

Hoffman returned to the Bay Area to get his master’s degree in public health from Touro University on Mare Island and earned a position at the Hawaii Family Medical Residency.

Now back in Benicia, Hoffman is ready to give back to the community that fueled his passion and bring back a medical model long thought to have fallen by the wayside.

“I do not personally know any family doctors practicing this way, though it is becoming a popular model in the Midwest,” he said. “If you count high-priced concierge doctors, they are becoming popular in many large and wealthy cities across the U.S.”

Above all, Hoffman is just happy to make a difference in people’s lives.

“There are so many things to love about being a doctor,” he said. “Seeing the relief on a child’s face when they can breathe again after treating their asthma, the appreciation of an elderly patient when you take the time to listen to them and help explain what is going on and how we are going to treat it. I especially love when I am able to work with a patient to give them back their life by getting them off of unpleasant medications by curing their diabetes, heart disease or other chronic condition and enabling them to feel better, live longer and be more active.”

Hoffman’s clinic is located at 831 E. 2nd St. in Suite 103. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and by special appointment on weekends. To make an appointment, call 750-5944 or visit cliffordhoffmando.com.