Run By Students & Supervised by Faculty, Clinic
Offers Free Medical Care to the East Parkside Community
of West Philadelphia
(Philadelphia, PA) -Students
at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
have received a "Caring for Community" grant in support
of the United Community Clinics Project, which provides
free basic medical care, referrals, and counseling to
residents of West Philadelphia.
The four-year supplemental grant is one of eight proposals
awarded this year by the Association of American Medical
Colleges (AAMC), in collaboration with the Pfizer Medical
Humanities Initiative. The "Caring for Community" program
provides funding for community health projects initiated,
developed, and run by medical students. The goal of
the program is to encourage students to identify unique
or unexplored avenues of community service. The United
Community Clinics Project program will receive $7,685
this year and, when they meet their pre-established
goals, will be eligible to apply for additional funding
over the next three years.
"We plan on using this funding to expand our services
and purchase more medical supplies," said medical student
Rick Vidal who, along with student Diane Li,
serves as the clinic's medical coordinator, supervising
week-to-week operations. "We are also looking to work
with colleagues at the Penn School of Dental Medicine
to provide more dental care and education - a pressing
need for our local community."
Founded by Penn medical students in 1996, the United
Community Clinics Project offers free basic medical
care and preventive health screening, social services
and counseling, medical referrals, and health education.
The clinic is run by medical students, although direct
patient care is supervised by School of Medicine faculty.
In addition, Penn students in dentistry, nursing, and
social work also staff the clinic, volunteering their
time and expertise to help the disadvantaged find the
medical care and social services they need. Each year,
approximately 600 patients come to the clinic, located
in the First African Presbyterian Church on Girard Avenue
in the East Parkside section of West Philadelphia.
"Every Monday night, these students learn how to deal
with real world clinical situations, from check-ups,
to tuberculosis screenings, to seeing that your patient
gets follow-up care," said Harvey Rubin, MD, PhD,
Associate Dean for Student Affairs at Penn's School
of Medicine. "It is valuable in helping students gain
a deeper appreciation of the challenges that they will
face as practicing physicians, and it is entirely their
energy that keeps the clinic moving."
Over the last three years, the Pfizer Medical Humanities
Initiative has provided more than $500,000 to fund the
AAMC Caring for Community grant program. Forty medical-student
programs and projects at as many medical schools nationwide
have received support since the program's inception
in 2000.
"These eight Caring for Community grants recognize
medical students' commitment to bettering the communities
in which they live, as well as their professionalism,
knowledge, and skills. The students who participate
in these projects will meet people who will open their
eyes to new challenges and change their attitudes and
perceptions of what it means to be a physician. I expect
that, as a result, the students will benefit at least
as much as the people they will serve, if not more,"
said Robert Sabalis, PhD, associate vice president of
student affairs and programs for the AAMC.
The 2003 grantees are: University of Pennsylvania School
of Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Ohio State
University College of Medicine, Pennsylvania State University
College of Medicine, Rush Medical College, University
of California - Irvine College of Medicine, University
of Kansas Medical Center, and University of Miami School
of Medicine.
"The beauty of this program is that it not only taps
into the students' flow of creativity, energy, and commitment
to service, but also changes the lives of real people
and helps create for them a brighter future," said Mike
Magee, MD, director of the Pfizer Medical Humanities
Initiative.
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Penn Medicine is one of the world’s leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, excellence in patient care, and community service. The organization consists of the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Penn’s Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine, founded in 1765 as the nation’s first medical school.
The Perelman School of Medicine is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $550 million awarded in the 2022 fiscal year. Home to a proud history of “firsts” in medicine, Penn Medicine teams have pioneered discoveries and innovations that have shaped modern medicine, including recent breakthroughs such as CAR T cell therapy for cancer and the mRNA technology used in COVID-19 vaccines.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System’s patient care facilities stretch from the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania to the New Jersey shore. These include the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Chester County Hospital, Lancaster General Health, Penn Medicine Princeton Health, and Pennsylvania Hospital—the nation’s first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional facilities and enterprises include Good Shepherd Penn Partners, Penn Medicine at Home, Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital, and Princeton House Behavioral Health, among others.
Penn Medicine is an $11.1 billion enterprise powered by more than 49,000 talented faculty and staff.