June 1, 2007

UC Davis Health System and its departments of internal medicine and psychiatry and behavioral sciences were recognized last week by the Sacramento County Department of Health and Human Services for their contributions to the department's volunteer service programs over the past year.

The county bestowed Community Partner Awards to the health system and the departments at its annual Volunteer and Community Partners Recognition and Appreciation Luncheon on May 23.

The health system as a whole was chosen for an award in recognition of the free health-care clinics operated by School of Medicine students and located in underserved neighborhoods in the Sacramento area. The clinics are the Paul Hom Asian Clinic, Clinica Tepati, Imani Clinic and the Shifa Community Clinic.

The Department of Internal Medicine received an award for its T.E.A.C.H. Program, which is intended to benefit patients of the county's Primary Care Center while training internal medicine residents. The residents see patients at the clinic four days a week. Patients who are hospitalized at UC Davis Medical Center are followed by the same medical team that saw them at the primary care clinic, and continues to follow them after discharge from the hospital. Seeing the same physicians at the county clinic and UC Davis Medical Center bridges the gap between the two institutions and improves the continuity of care.

The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences coordinates with the county clinic to treat patients who otherwise would not qualify for mental health services. The department staff works with the county to assist patients referred from the Mental Health Treatment Center, the Regional Support Team and the Alcohol and Drug Program. In addition, a full-time psychiatric resident sees patients at the county clinic as part of his or her training, providing the county with an extra physician available to other medical staff for psychiatric consultations.