University of Cincinnati Department of Family and Community Medicine

Caitlin Moore, Summer 2018

This summer I had the opportunity to invest in the community through my work with the UC Family Medicine Department. For the past eight weeks I have been updating our Community Resource Map. This map lists over one hundred organizations and agencies in Cincinnati that provide services for the underserved and homeless populations in the area. I called all the organizations listed on the map to make sure that the information we had listed about them was accurate. This gave me the opportunity to discover the many different services available for people living in Cincinnati. I learned where someone can go if they need a free shower and change of clothes, a free haircut, a free meal, and so much more. Going forward, I feel confident that I will be able to recommend specific organizations and agencies to patients who need services but may not know where to go. There are tons of people doing a lot of good work in Cincinnati, and I am glad I now know more about the resources available for the underserved and homeless in the community.

In addition to updating the Community Resource Map, I helped manage the weekly free clinic at Belterra Racetrack. Most of the workers at the backside of the track do not have medical insurance and would not get to see a doctor if the free clinic did not exist. Each week at the clinic, patients can see a doctor, get medication prescriptions, and even get small procedures done. The doctors, residents, and medical students who volunteer at the clinic are always respectful toward patients and the patients are grateful for the care and treatment they receive. As a UHP intern, I was in charge of managing the paperwork that patients must complete. I also coordinated patient referrals, lab tests, and medication prescriptions for our patients. I did a lot of behind-the-scenes work to make sure that the clinic ran smoothly so that the doctors could spend more time with patients. Even though most of what I did for the clinic was behind-the-scenes, I still got to meet most patients when they checked in to the clinic. I was even able to help interpret for the many Spanish-speaking patients who come to the clinic. I was so fortunate to be able to use my Spanish knowledge when talking to patients, that was certainly my favorite part of the summer. I will not forget the people I met this summer and the lessons I learned at the clinic each week. This summer experience has helped me remember that I want to be a service-oriented physician and has showed me how I can make that a reality.