University of Cincinnati Department of Family and Community Medicine

Maggie Mulligan, Summer 2011

This summer I had the great pleasure of working with Dr. Joseph Kiesler and the UC Department of Family Medicine. One of our most important responsibilities was working at a clinic at River Downs racetrack. Prior to working at the racetrack, I had only been exposed to River Downs in a social setting. However, this summer I had the opportunity to see "The Backside" and got to know the people whose hard work makes everything at River Downs possible. Many of the people we saw at the clinic were migrant workers who traveled to different racetracks to work with the horses. It was interesting to get to know the patients' stories and it was extremely rewarding to provide them with the care that they desperately needed and may otherwise never have received. I also spent a significant amount of my time shadowing the physicians working at the McMicken Homeless Clinic as well as on the Mobile Medical Van. At these locations I was able to get to know a different subset of the homeless population, most of whom were living in the downtown Cincinnati area. Outside of the time I spent in the clinic, I spent a large portion of my summer working on the Homeless Resource Map. The Homeless Resource Map lists 111 different agencies, each of which is focused on providing a variety of services for the homeless population. I was responsible for updating the information on the map as well as distributing the map. The map is a truly great tool and it was an honor to be able to work on it. Overall, this summer opened my eyes to a population of people in need right here in Cincinnati. I was able to meet many inspiring physicians as well as patients. The Urban Health Project was an amazing experience and is something I will certainly carry with me throughout my career!