Message From Medical Education LeadershipRural-PRIME Student Spotlight
Joint effort brings health care to Knight's Landing
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August 2012, Sierra Sacramento Valley Medicine WHEN I FIRST LEARNED OF THE Knights Landing Community Engagement Project (KLCEP), I thought it was a dream come true. I came to the UC Davis Rural PRIME program because I want to be a rural family doctor, but I could not believe my luck — I was going to be part of starting a new clinic. This clinic was in Being a Yolo County local, I was thrilled to be working so close to home and with a population I had gone to school with over the years. For me, the Knights Landing Clinic aspect of KLCEP started during the first week of medical school, but for most KLCEP members and the Knights Landing Community, the clinic was a long time in coming. As the story has been told to me, both the only public school in the community and the local park were closed due to budget cuts. It may seem strange that a clinic sprang from the closing of a school, but this event was monumental in the organization of a group of community advocates, now known as the grupo They found support in California Rural Legal Assistance and UC Davis sociology assistant professor, Natalia Deeb-Sossa, Ph.D. Eventually, the Woodland School District opened the Science and Technology Charter When the CommuniCare Clinic closed, the migrant farmworkers’ access to health care was now not only compromised by the obvious language difficulties, but also by the necessity of transportation to Woodland. With only two weekly buses running to and from Woodland, a visit to the doctor’s office often meant calling in a favor from a neighbor or friend, or spending most of the day using public transportation while missing work. The grupo de mujeres was well organized and had regular weekly meetings by this point. With some help from outside advocates, the women caught the attention of several student co-directors of Clínica Tepati (one of the seven clinics run by UC Davis students) and Rural PRIME students. After nearly three years of long meetings with multiple partners, another UC Davis student-run clinic was going to be a reality. By October 2011, we had a facility, monetary support and a group of very dedicated faculty. We were about to open Clínica Tepati’s first satellite clinic, after smoothing out some lastminute details including setting up an EMR system and developing protocols. This was no small task for a group of first-year medical students with a full load of classes. The Knights Landing Clinic officially opened its doors with a celebration on Sunday,January 29, 2012. The community came out for a town hall meeting and health care screenings. Each patient seen at the health fair has subsequently been followed up on clinic days with appointments scheduled via the EMR. New patients come in on clinic days or call an answering service to leave a message for an appointment. The clinic is now open the third Sunday of each month and is staffed by medical student, undergraduate, nurse and Opening day marked only the beginning of an exciting adventure. The Knights Landing Clinic is joining forces with the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in an effort to promote a broader definition of health, termed “One-Health,” which includes the health of all members of the community, including pets, strays and farm animals. It is going to be a very exciting year for the Knights Landing Community. The creation of the Knights Landing Clinic has been a phenomenal collaboration between many individuals and groups. We would like to especially thank the following: These individuals and groups are a perfect example of the collaboration needed to provide patients with accessible health care. None of this would have been possible without the support and continued support of these individuals and groups. Thank you! If you are interested in volunteering or would like more information about the Knights Landing Clinic, please contact us at klclinc.ucdsom@gmail.com or alcalfee@gmail.com. |
First-year student wins Habbas Scholarship
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January 31, 2012 Criteria for the Habbas Scholarship, established in 1991, include leadership potential, community and extracurricular involvement, financial need and academic achievement. Saleh, an Antioch native, is a Rural-PRIME student and was drawn to the program for the chance to learn how to practice rural medicine and become a leader in his community. Saleh's parents were both born and raised in Yemen, before they immigrated to the U.S. on a work visa. Saleh will be leading this year's rural health fair in Jackson, which aids migrant farm workers that are unable to receive medical care. He said he is particularly sympathetic to the plight of farm workers since his father worked as a migrant farm worker when he first immigrated to America. His father told him of the many hardships that he and his fellow workers faced in trying to receive health care. Saleh also volunteers at the student-run community clinic, Imani Clinic, providing care to underserved populations. He hopes to return to Yemen, where the rest of his extended family still resides, to establish health clinics in poor rural areas like those where his parents were raised. The UC Davis School of Medicine is among the nation's leading medical schools, recognized for its research and primary-care programs. The school offers fully accredited master's degree programs in public health and in informatics, and its combined M.D.-Ph.D. program is training the next generation of physician-scientists to conduct high-impact research and translate discoveries into better clinical care. Along with being a recognized leader in medical research, the school is committed to serving underserved communities and advancing rural health. For more information, visit UC Davis School of Medicine at http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/mdprogram/rural_prime/index.html. |
The compassion and caring of our students
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December 12, 2011 Dear Colleagues, At UC Davis School of Medicine and the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, we search for candidates with special strengths not typically revealed by standardized tests and academic grades. We look for students who will go on to practice medicine and improve health with compassion, cultural sensitivity, evidence-based inquiry, concern for the underserved and a commitment to the highest ethical standards. Our students provide powerful confirmation that we are on the right track in the selection and education of our colleagues in training. I would like to share a compelling story about one of our Rural-PRIME students — Christopher White. |
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Christopher White, a fourth-year student from the North Coast town of McKinleyville, was hiking the John Muir Trail early in the school year with his fiancée when they came upon a woman in medical distress. The hiker, who had just climbed 12,000-foot Silver Pass with her husband, asked for help, and Chris immediately responded. After taking a patient history and conducting a brief exam, Chris concluded that the symptoms were suggestive of excessive ibuprofen intake, which the hiker had been using for a lingering ankle injury. White advised the woman to discontinue the ibuprofen — and the hike — and seek treatment. For the hiker, who followed Chris' instructions, the trailside advice left a lasting impact. Her husband wrote to me to express his "heartfelt gratitude" for our student's wise counsel, and applaud our student training. Chris, who plans to practice psychiatry, explained that his response was an extension of the medical education and mentoring he has received at UC Davis. "A lot of our third-year training was with amazing clinicians who are very caring and compassionate individuals, so it's natural to model ourselves after them," he said. "UC Davis really believes medicine is not just a business, but a calling, and I think the students here at UC Davis reflect that." Sincerely, Claire Pomeroy, M.D., M.B.A. |
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