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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Mary Herbert, MS, MPH¹, Diego Chaves-Gnecco, MD, MPH², Patricia Documét, MD, DrPH³, Maria Luz Nieto, BS⁴, Jennifer M. Pena, BS⁴, and Thuy Bui, MD¹. (1) Program for Health Care to Underserved Populations, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, 933W Montefiore Hospital, 200 Lothrop St., Pittsburgh, PA 15213, 412-692-4901, herbertmi@upmc.edu, (2) SALUD PARA NIÑOS (Health for the Children Students, residents And Latinos United against health Disparities), Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, 3705 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, (3) Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, 130 DeSoto St., Room 223, Graduate School of Public Health, Pitsburgh, PA 15261, (4) School of Medicine; Students and Latinos United Against Disparities (SALUD), University of Pittsburgh, 3550 Terrace Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15261

The Program for Health Care to Underserved Populations (PHCUP) has as its mission to provide free health care to the medically disenfranchised, regardless of ability to pay. Staffed by volunteer physicians, pharmacists, and health professional students from the University of Pittsburgh (UP), PHCUP's Birmingham Free Clinic (BFC) has become the only completely free health clinic in southwestern Pennsylvania.

In 2002, the UP medical student group – Students and Latinos United Against Disparities (SALUD) – approached the PHCUP with an initiative to outreach to the growing number of uninsured Latinos in Pittsburgh. With faculty mentorship from the Graduate School of Public Health, and promotion by SALUD within local churches, the BFC opened weekly services to uninsured Spanish-speaking patients. In 2003, SALUD began more extensive outreach, clinic promotion and health education within the church community, establishing even greater trust with local Latinos.

Success with the clinic, and increased student interest in volunteering, led to institutionalizing these volunteer and educational opportunities within the medical school curriculum. These allow medical students to gain experience with the underserved in culturally competent health care. Since it's beginning SALUD developed a partnership with the program SALUD PARA NIÑOS from Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. SALUD PARA NIÑOS expanded its services in 2003 to provide free pediatric care at the BFC. In 2006, additional subspecialty services were added to current services.

This presentation describes the process of creating successful and culturally competent health care services for uninsured Latinos, through capacity building between students, health care providers, churches and other community groups.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant will be able to

• IDentify avenues for capacity building among various groups or agencies. 2.Develop ideas for collaboration with various groups to provide services to underserved groups.
• Describe the process of creating synergy between academic programs and communities to increase opportnities for cultural competency training for students.

Keywords: Access and Services, Access to Health Care

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered