Site Description
The University of Cincinnati (UC) Department of Family and Community Medicine is heavily involved with fellow, resident, and medical student teaching at the UC College of Medicine. Faculty members at their clinical sites provide care to a variety of populations from varying socioeconomic backgrounds and also practice in hospitals and extended-care facilities. In addition, the Department sponsors a broad array of community service programs, providing free health care to many underserved patients in the area, including the homeless, Hispanic immigrants, troubled and disadvantaged youth, and the elderly. Urban Health Project interns provide assistance at the Belterra Racetrack Clinic, update the Community and Homeless Resource Map, shadow primary care physicians with the Healthcare for the Homeless program, and participate in other projects as needed.
Job Description
- Gain a better understanding of the barriers to health care access the populations served by this site face and of the community service agencies assisting these populations.
- Be involved in direct patient care, coordination of clinic services, identification of community and homeless services, evaluation of opportunities for growth of the programs, and community outreach.
- Work at the Belterra Race Track Clinic, a free clinic for workers that live and work on the backside of the track, on Monday evenings from 5:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
- Assist in providing patient care, coordinating clinic sessions, organizing health fairs, etc.
- Compile the clinic demographics and statistics about the health care provided.
- Setup clinic referrals, appointments, and transportation.
- If applicable, serve as an interpreter for patients who speak Spanish or have low proficiency in English.
- Pick up medications and input patient visit information into the EMR.
- Update the Community and Homeless Resource Map. The map lists resources available in the Greater Cincinnati area with a special focus on resources for people who are homeless. The map is distributed to community agencies and homeless shelters throughout the region. The interns accomplish this by:
- Update the community and homeless resource guide, map, and app.
- Contacting agencies on the map and then using Excel and Adobe Illustrator to make changes.
- Visiting sites on the map.
- Coordinating the distribution of the map.
- Dr. Kiesler is open to personal projects at the clinic and is flexible with an individual's personal ideas on improving the resource map and clinic such as using surveys, focus groups, outreach, etc.
- Note: Applicants with Spanish speaking skills are preferred, but not required, as the Race Track Clinic provides interpreters.
Intern Quote
“On Monday nights I am at the Racetrack Clinic down at Belterra Park.
Before I head there, I will pick up prescriptions from last week's patients from the pharmacy.
Once I'm at the clinic, I will bounce around with patient intake, seeing patients with residents, and helping run the clinic.
On other days of the week, I continue to update the Community and Homeless Resource Guide for Cincinnati, both for a phone app, and a physical map.
Working on these two projects has been super rewarding and the focus on access to care, and equitable care has forever transformed how I will approach medicine!”
– William Clark