November 5, 2005

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — In recognition of UC Davis Health System's long-standing commitment to serving the health-care needs of local and regional communities, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) has honored the health system with its Outstanding Community Service Award for 2005.

The prestigious award recognizes exceptional community service programs that go beyond the typical role of academic medicine to reach communities whose needs are not met by traditional health-care delivery systems. AAMC members, which include the 142 accredited medical schools in the United States and Canada as well as teaching hospitals and academic and professional societies, compete annually for the designation. UC Davis shares the award this year with the Medical College of Wisconsin.

“Since its founding more than 30 years ago, UC Davis Health System has focused on meeting the primary and specialty care needs of residents within the geographically vast and culturally diverse Northern California region,” said Virginia Hinshaw, UC Davis provost and executive vice chancellor. “It not only operates in a city where more than 70 languages are spoken, but it also serves the most rural and remote regions of the state. But no matter what the location or language, our work involves a commitment to community.”

UC Davis was honored for its variety of programs that specifically address the needs of underserved citizens in the Sacramento region. These include:

• Center for Health and Technology, which uses the latest in communications technology to enable patients throughout California to receive direct clinical and specialty care without leaving their own communities. This nationally recognized program has allowed UC Davis physicians to consult with approximately 14,000 patients at more than 80 remote clinics and hospitals since 1992.
• Partnership with St. HOPE Public Schools, which includes a program for health sciences at Sacramento High School, where students enjoy an invigorated curriculum that features a variety of real-world, hands-on experiences at UC Davis Medical Center in health care and research.
• Communities and Physicians Together is a program that brings UC Davis pediatricians and physicians-in-training to five disadvantaged neighborhoods in the Sacramento region, where they can help meet the health needs of children while also learning how to be effective child advocates.
• Student-Run Health Clinics offer culturally sensitive and compassionate clinical care at no cost to five medically underserved, ethnic populations in the Sacramento area.
• Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness, Research and Training aims to reduce ethnic disparities by developing cancer awareness and prevention programs targeted to specific segments of the Asian American community, a population that encompasses more than 30 distinct ethnic groups and 800 different languages and dialects, from Chinese to Hmong.
• Staff Offering Services leverages the resources and expertise of UC Davis Health System staff in the form of volunteer time within the community. Nearly 400 employees donate more than 1,350 hours annually at a variety of community events.

“Community engagement is integral to everything we do,” said Claire Pomeroy, UC Davis vice chancellor for Human Health Sciences and dean of the School of Medicine. “Because we have such outstanding partnerships in the community, we are better able to accomplish our teaching, research and patient care missions.”

The sense of community involvement also was echoed by capital city leaders, including one state lawmaker who was born in the hospital that later became part of what is now known as the UC Davis Medical Center.

"I literally grew up watching the evolution of UC Davis in my neighborhood," said California state Sen. Deborah Ortiz. "With its philosophy of partnering and giving, it truly has served as a catalyst to improve health, foster economic development, and broaden educational opportunities for Sacramento residents."