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Online Program

326471
How a Medical School/Public Health Partnership Addresses the Social Determinants of Health to Improve Healthcare in High Risk Communities


Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Caterina Hill, MSc, Research Associate in Social Medicine Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
Zoe Bouchelle, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
Yasmin Rawlins, Harvard College, Cambridge, MA
Jennifer Bennet, BA, The Family Van, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
Leonor Perez, PhD, Office of Institutional Effectiveness, Southwestern College, Chula Vista, CA
Nancy Oriol, MD, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
This study evaluates a mobile clinic that is an academia-public health partnership designed to address health disparities and the social determinants of health.  The objective of this study is to characterize how patients use the mobile clinic to improve their personal healthcare.  There are approximately 2000 mobile clinics across the U.S., many of which are examples of academic-public health partnerships.  Research has demonstrated they improve access to care, improve health outcomes, reduce costs and increase health equity, however there is limited research examining why they work from patients’ perspective.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 visitors to one mobile clinic during Summer 2014. Convenience quota sampling ensured representation from different races, ages, genders and insurance status. Interviews were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Strategies to ensure reliability included inter-rater reliability measurements. Limitations included a small, self-selected sample.

Data revealed that the patients utilize the mobile clinic 1) As a substitute to the traditional healthcare system, 2) As a supplement to the traditional healthcare system, and 3) As a link to the traditional healthcare system and social services. The perceived gaps in the traditional healthcare system that The Family Van fills include: 1) A lack of fast, affordable services to address minor health concerns, 2) Infrequent tracking of chronic disease, and 3) Sparse care addressing the social determinants of health.

This study demonstrates that this mobile clinic, bringing together the talents and resources of academia and public health, facilitates access to healthcare and addresses the social determinants of health.

Learning Areas:

Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Chronic disease management and prevention
Clinical medicine applied in public health
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs

Learning Objectives:
Describe how a mobile clinic may be an academic-public health partnership addressing the social determinants of health Define the three key ways that patients use a mobile clinic in underserved areas including a) as a substitute to care; b) a supplement to care; and c) as a link into care and social services. Identify the perceived gaps in the traditional healthcare system that are addressed by this academic public health partnership.

Keyword(s): Community-Based Partnership & Collaboration, Health Disparities/Inequities

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Since joining Harvard Medical School as Research Associate in 2010, Caterina has focused on the mobile clinic sector. She is Principal Investigator of a study about Mobile Clinics and Public Health Quality, Manager of Research and Evaluation for the Boston based Family Van and Co-Investigator of the national Mobile Health Map project. She is a tutor at Harvard Medical School. She holds degrees from Cambridge University and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Any relevant financial relationships? Yes

Name of Organization Clinical/Research Area Type of relationship
Harvard Medical School Family Van Mobile Clinic Mobile Clinics Employment (includes retainer)

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4260.0: Academic Public Health Caucus Poster Session II