An Educational Curriculum Informing 5 Student Run Free Clinics in Philadelphia

Sarah Lawson; Carolyn Ream; Carlotta Pazzi; William Leach; Robert Motley

doi:10.59586/jsrc.v12i1.563

Sarah Lawson Sidney Kimmel Medical College
Carolyn Ream Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University
Carlotta Pazzi, MD Johns Hopkins Hospital
William Leach, MA Thomas Jefferson University
Robert Motley, MD, MS Thomas Jefferson University

DOI: https://doi.org/10.59586/jsrc.v12i1.563

Keywords: curriculum, culturally competent care, ill-housed persons

Abstract

The organization JeffHOPE (Health Opportunities, Prevention, and Education) operates five student run free clinics (SRFCs) in Philadelphia. The organization's goals are threefold: to provide supervised free acute medical care to persons experiencing homelessness, connect patients to the Philadelphia healthcare system, and educate medical students and residents on compassionate and culturally competent care at the intersection between homelessness and healthcare. While many SRFCs around the country have emerged to provide medical care to underserved patients across the United States, something that makes JeffHOPE unique is its educational model. This article describes the development of a longitudinal, interactive educational model implemented by medical students at JeffHOPE. This model has implications beyond informing how medical students operate clinics, giving students tools to provide patient-centered, culturally competent care to vulnerable populations during their training and beyond.