Community Health Scholar Project
…An FSU COM AHEC Sponsored Summer Service Learning Project
School-Based Clinic Project
Gadsden County, Florida
Under the leadership of Dr. Maggie Blackburn, Dr. Elena Reyes, the
FSU College of Medicine with the support of the AHEC Program has
established full service health clinics at Shanks Middle School and
George Munroe Elementary School which provides a coordinated and
continual system of primary care for the school-aged children of
Gadsden County. The goal of the clinic is to improve access to
primary physical and mental health services for the underserved,
minority pediatric population in Gadsden County while providing a
service-oriented learning experience for medical and other health
science students. The anticipated outcome of providing health
services through a school-based clinic is to improve the overall
health status of the school-aged population through preventive
services, chronic disease management, behavioral health assessments
and targeted health education programs.
This project offers medical students /community health scholars the
opportunity to collaborate in providing linguistically and
culturally appropriate community-based services that integrate
clinical medicine and behavioral health for optimal care.
The following services are offered at the sites:
- Comprehensive annual physical examinations
- Comprehensive behavioral risk assessments
- Diagnosis and treatment of minor illnesses
- Chronic disease education/prevention/management
- Asthma management education and treatment
- Obesity awareness and prevention
- Diabetes awareness and education
- Counseling services (individual and group)
- Behavioral health and mental health treatment
- Nutritional counseling
- Health and wellness education
- Stress reduction and management
- Crisis intervention
- Health careers presentations and activities
This Community Health Scholars project offers students the
opportunity for interdisciplinary collaboration in a variety of the
services being offered to the community. Three Community Health
Scholars are needed for this project.
Migrant Summer School
Gadsden County, Florida
Under the leadership of Maria Pouncey, Migrant Coordinator for the
Panhandle Area Education Consortium (PAEC), the FSU College of
Medicine with the support of the AHEC Program has established a
migrant summer school in Gadsden County. Migrant farm workers are an
indispensable part of American agriculture, yet by every measure,
these people are our most depressed workers. They work from sunrise
until dark under unsanitary and dangerous conditions. The average
life expectancy of a migrant farm worker is forty-nine compared to
seventy-five for the general population. Migrant family income is
one-fifth the national average. The continuous interstate and
intrastate movement for agricultural work puts an undue hardship on
parents providing wellness care.
The goal of this project is to insure that migrant children are
afforded the same medical information and accessibility as those who
do not migrate. Most migrant children do not meet the criteria for
Kids Care Insurance, while those with Medicaid may not have the
means or transportation to get medical attention.
Two Community Health Scholars are needed for this project. One will
update and maintain student medical records, assist physicians from
the TMH Family Practice Residency Program in facilitating health
screenings for each child, and provide referrals and follow-up as
needed. The other Scholar will act as a health educator in providing
daily health education information/lessons to the children. The goal
is that the children will take this valuable information home and
share with their families. This project is an opportunity for future
medical leaders to increase their cultural awareness and better
understand the migrant lifestyle of the Hispanic and indigenous
families.
|