UCSD Student-Run Free Clinic Project

The UCSD Student-Run Free Clinic Project (UCSD Free Clinic) is a nonprofit free clinic that maintains four community locations and is headquartered at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, California.[1] The UCSD Student-Run Free Clinic Project is 1 of approximately 24 student-run clinic programs in the nation;[2] students plan, manage, and carry out clinic operations under the supervision of licensed physicians.[3] The UCSD Student-Run Free Clinic Project seeks to provide high-quality and comprehensive care to uninsured and underserved patients throughout San Diego, who cannot otherwise afford access to care; the majority of patients are working poor.[4] Its four clinics are located at the First Lutheran Church in Downtown San Diego, the Pacific Beach United Methodist Church in Pacific Beach, Baker Elementary School located just north of National City, and Golden Avenue Elementary School in Lemon Grove.[5]

History

Students at the UCSD School of Medicine had wanted to start a free clinic for many years however, the models initially proposed did not gain the support of UCSD administration. One day, a UCSD pre-med student who had served at the Suitcase Clinic in Berkeley, California approached Dr. Ellen Beck, M.D, Clinical Professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at UCSD. Together, they called a meeting of interested students and formed a planning committee. The key learning for the team was that an exclusive building was not needed to house the clinic; the project needed an established community partner that could provide them with support and facilities.[6]

The team identified a well established program already serving the homeless at the Pacific Beach United Methodist Church. Mary Mahy, a formerly homeless woman, had created the Harvest for the Hungry program and was receptive to the idea of a free medical clinic. With her support and assistance, the UCSD Student-Run Free Clinic Project gained access to several rooms in the church that they could use during the evenings. Thus, the first UCSD Student-Run Free Clinic site was opened at the Pacific Beach United Methodist Church on in January 1997. On that first night, 10 patients came seeking aid and over the next few months the clinic became very busy.

A minister from the First Lutheran Church in Downtown San Diego, who was passionate about social justice and serving the homeless, heard about the free clinic that had started in Pacific Beach. He approached Dr. Beck and asked if a second site could be started at his church. This coincided with rising student interest for the project and with a sufficient number of medical student volunteers, a second site was opened in October 1997.

The medical students then became interested in reaching out to underserved minority populations. Initially, Dr. Beck approached an inner city church. Though the congregation was primarily middle-class, the pastor of the church referred Dr. Beck to his wife, Dr. Louilyn Hargett, who was the leader at Baker Elementary School. Dr. Hargett along with the school's principal, Krisi Dean, welcomed the creation of a clinic and became partners with the UCSD Student-Run Free Clinic Project. During 1998, the San Diego Unified School District approved the request to use school buildings for a medical clinic. It was the school board's hope that the clinic would help to affirm the idea that school was at the center of the community. On October 13, 1998, the UCSD Student-Run Free Clinic Project's third site was opened at Baker Elementary.[7]

Through the first 10 years of operations, the clinics provided no-cost healthcare to 7,500 people. At any given time, the clinics have approximately 2,500 active patients. [8] The clinic funding comes from UCSD, grants, foundations, and donors.[7]

Nationwide impact

The UCSD Student-Run Free Clinic Project created a national faculty development program in 1999 called, "Addressing the Health Needs of the Underserved" with grant funding. Over 107 faculty from 30 states have visited UCSD for three week periods to learn the mechanics of creating similar student-run free clinic programs in their communities. The UCSD Student-Run Free Clinic Project now offers an Advanced Skills Program, in which previous participants return for a week and continue to learn from each other and their programs.[9][10]

Through "Addressing the Health Needs of the Underserved," and individual consultations, the UCSD Student-Run Free Clinic Project Project has been emulated around the country[11]

In addition, attendees have used information from the program to create 29 new resident curricula in community medicine, 18 new medical student curricula, successful grant proposals that address training in underserved communities, and new programs addressing the needs of migrant workers, street homeless, and other underserved groups.[12]

See also

References
  1. Santana, Suria (June 2004). "Teaching Hospitals Tackle Rising Costs of Uninsured Care". Association of American Medical Colleges. Archived from the original on 2004-07-01. Retrieved 2008-07-06.
  2. Kalia, Hemant (2007). "Evaluation of the Student Volunteer Experience at UR Well Student Outreach" (doc). Community Health Improvement Clerkship Publications. p. 33. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
  3. Buchanan, D. MD; Witlen, R (2006). "Balancing service and education: ethical management of student-run clinics". Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved. 17 (3): 477–85. doi:10.1353/hpu.2006.0101. PMID 16960315.
  4. Beck, Ellen MD (2005). "The UCSD Student-Run Free Clinic Project Project: Transdisciplinary Health Professional Education". Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved. 16 (2): 207–19. doi:10.1353/hpu.2005.0026. PMID 15937383.
  5. Kwon, Christine (2003-10-05). "Yanking teeth". The UCSD Guardian. Retrieved 2008-07-02.
  6. Kirkpatrick, Maria (August 2007). "Hospitals Lend Community Support Far Beyond Their Walls: Programs take Care to the Public". San Diego Metropolitan Magazine. Archived from the original on 2008-01-12. Retrieved 2008-07-05.
  7. Clark, Cheryl (2008-04-14). "Clinic puts Students in the Trenches of Medicine". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on February 12, 2014. Retrieved 2008-07-06.
  8. "Health Care Champions" (PDF). San Diego Business Journal. 2007-08-20. p. 8. Retrieved 2008-07-05.
  9. "Addressing the Health Needs of the Underserved". UCSD Department of Family and Preventive Medicine. Retrieved 2008-07-06.
  10. beck, ellen (1999). "Addressing the Needs of the Underserved". Bioethics Forum. 15 (2): 1094–102. doi:10.1097/ACM.0b013e3181890484. PMID 18971666. Archived from the original (doc) on 2006-05-28. Retrieved 2008-07-05.
  11. "UCSD Department of Family and Preventive Medicine Community Programs: Addressing the Health Needs of the Underserved". UCSD Department of Family and Preventive Medicine. Archived from the original on 2008-05-22. Retrieved 2008-07-05.
  12. "UCSD Faculty Development Programs: Addressing the Health Needs of the Underserved". The UCSD Student-Run Free Clinic Project Project. Retrieved 2008-07-05.
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