Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society

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The latest issue of The Pharos is out. Check out the table of contents and read selected articles of the Spring 2008 issue.

National and chapter news

Medical Volunteers at the University of Cincinnati (MEDVOUC)—Bridging the Gap

Since Dr. Aletha Tippett founded Medical Volunteers of the University of Cincinnati (MEDVOUC) in 1992, its goals have been to serve the basic needs of the homeless population in Cincinnati through a clinic at the Drop-Inn Homeless Shelter, while allowing medical students to practice clinical skills, grow compassion, and gain awareness of the issues facing underserved population as well as the challenges of providing high quality healthcare to such populations. MEDVOUC does this through its services provided to the Drop-Inn shelter as well as through community education programs.

MEDVOUC students help run the free clinic every Thursday evening from October to March. Six to eight first and second year medical students team up with a precepting physician and 2-3 pharmacy students to evaluate, diagnose, and treat patients with complaints such as musculoskeletal pain, upper respiratory infections, and wounds. AΩA funding was used during the past year to provide supplies that the organization’s operating budget would not have otherwise covered, such as glucose monitors and strips.  Recently, TB surveillance was added to the services at the Drop-Inn, and a program for healthcare education established at the YWCA Battered Women's Shelter. AΩA funds helped maximize the impact of both of these programs as well. When MEDVOUC began to use bus tokens and taxi vouchers to facilitate travel, the number of patients testing positive after the tuberculosis skin test who were able to access treatment at the Hamilton County TB Control Center rose dramatically. This year we hope to continue these programs while expanding our educational program to include additional health education at the Drop-Inn Shelter as well as expand awareness in the community.

Currently, the effectiveness and quality of the care at the clinic is limited by the space available to us at the Drop-Inn Shelter. Nearly every week there are new volunteers, and the large storage cabinets can make it difficult to find supplies. Much of the space is taken up by bulky desks and few (but large) chairs. Since seating is limited students often must stand over the patient while taking a history. Students also have to walk through patient interviews to reach supplies and drugs.

To address this need, MEDVOUC has established relationship with the University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP) in order to develop a new layout within the current space and purchase new furniture and organizational supplies to better utilize the space.  The new layout will streamline our patient care setting and reorganize our supplies, eliminating wasted time searching for supplies and allowing more time for patient care.  In addition, the new furniture will allow designated patient care stations and seating for both the patients and students.

This project will be headed by the new officers of MEDVOUC, including Director Laura Jones, Development Chair Courtney Kroeger, and Clinic Coordinators Erin Becka and David Dow.  Additional officers of MEDVOUC that will be coordinating the TB surveillance are Rechel Robitz and Monika Jindal and coordinating the education within both the community and within the homeless population are Will DeWitt and Laura Pareso.  These officers hope to see MEDVOUC continue to grow as a bridge between medical students and the community.  We hope that MEDVOUC will continue to serve as an outlet for students to not only be able to practice clinical skills and patient care, but to teach them compassion and understanding, which will ultimately lead to better physicians in the future.

—Laura Jones (current Director of MEDVOUC) and Janice Thoerner (former Director)

Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Fifth Annual Community Health Fair

The 5th Annual Community Health Fair, organized by Mount Sinai School of Medicine medical students, was held on April 5th, 2008 from 11am-4pm at 102nd street and Madison Avenue and drew over 450 community residents. The coordinators planned the fair for nearly a year with the goals of fostering close relationships with East Harlem organizations and community members and targeting the health concerns unique to East Harlem. The fair was sponsored by Mount Sinai Auxiliary Board- Young Women's Division, Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society, Mount Sinai Hospital Department of Community Relations, Center for Multicultural Community Affairs, The Mount Sinai Alumni Association, Mount Sinai School of Medicine Student Council, SNMA, AMSA and Community Board 11. The main draw for community residents was the free screenings provided by Sinai and community health professionals, which included Alzheimer's, hearing, depression, PTSD, kidney disease, cholesterol, glucose/blood pressure, glaucoma, Hepatitis C, HIV, asthma, BMI, and pediatric screenings (BMI, literacy, development, and asthma). More than 150 adults and 60 children were screened, each of whom received exit interviews with Sinai medical doctors.

Other health fair components included health information/resource tables, featuring community health organizations, more than 25 performances by East Harlem residents and student groups, healthy living seminars, such as yoga, mediation, and mental health/stress solutions, a cooking demonstration, and a basketball tournament. Free raffles and healthy snacks were distributed throughout the day. In collaboration with NY Blood Center and Mount Sinai Medical Center, a two-day blood drive was held, registering 178 new donors. Each donor received free Mets tickets. During the week preceding the fair, Sinai students and nutritionists provided health lessons to over 350 middle school students in public schools without formal nutrition courses.

Columbia-Harlem Homeless Medical Partnership
A FREE CLINIC FOR THE HOMELESS

In October 2004, looking for an opportunity to serve the homeless of Upper Manhattan and to further their experiential learning, a group of medical students at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons created an initiative for a new student-run free clinic in New York City.  Today, this project has transformed into the Columbia-Harlem Homeless Medical Partnership (CHHMP), which, as of April 2008, has seen 112 patients in 183 visits since its opening on May 1, 2007.

Operating from the basement of Saint Mary’s Episcopal Church in West Harlem every Tuesday evening, the clinic provides the homeless, the uninsured and the local community with basic medical care, health education, and referrals to a variety of social services.  Every week, 14 to 18 student-clinicians representing all four years see patients under the supervision of Dr. Jim Spears, a Columbia Family Medicine attending physician with over ten years of experience in healthcare for the homeless.  Because of the importance of continuity of care when working with the homeless, the same group of medical students and attending physician commit to working at the clinic on a near weekly basis.  Students are also involved in twice weekly community outreach activities, as well a peer-to-peer seminar on homelessness.

These outreach and academic opportunities allow the students to develop a better understanding of the population the clinic serves.  CHHMP is dedicated to working with and within the targeted community. Although the students initially faced setbacks in site selection, Saint Mary’s Church has proven to be an advantageous location for the clinic’s mission.  During the daytime, the space houses a homeless drop-in center run by the Center for Urban Community Services (CUCS).  The church sponsors a food pantry and provides space for community programs on weekday evenings.   CHHMP benefits from both these partnerships and the ability to work within the framework of two established community organizations. The services of the clinic supplement those already provided at the CUCS drop-in center and by Saint Mary’s Church.

CHHMP project activities are driven by five main goals: 1) to provide free, high quality primary health services to the homeless community of Harlem and establish a “medical home” for clinic patients; 2) to provide free basic health education services to the clinic community; 3) to provide referrals to a wide variety of social services in the local community; 4) to further the education of medical students in the practice of primary care medicine and community health; and 5) to help student-clinicians learn about the health and social needs of the community, the challenges of providing healthcare to underserved populations and advocacy for underserved populations

Having completed a six-month pilot phase in October 2007, CHHMP is now in its second phase of operations and expansion.  Activities include investigating options to purchase basic diagnostic equipment and laboratory services, providing follow-up appointments at Columbia’s Farrell Community Health Center, and continuing to carry out needs assessments.  In addition, a major focus is helping patients gain access to medications, either by having the clinic purchase them directly or by setting up an account at a local pharmacy. The CHHMP clinic is looking forward to the next phase of operations, the possibility of expanding available services, and the continuation of an invaluable learning experience for the students involved.

Previous National and Chapter news can be found here.

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About Alpha Omega Alpha

Alpha Omega Alpha, commonly referred to as AΩA, can be thought of as the “Phi Beta Kappa for medical schools.” As the only national honor medical society, its mission, developed over the past one hundred years, has been to recognize and enhance professionalism, academic excellence, service, and leadership within the profession.

Criteria for and restrictions upon election to AΩA are detailed in the Constitution. These elections occur each year in the 124 chapters within the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the American University of Beirut. In 2006, as in other recent years, close to 3100 medical students and a much smaller number of faculty, resident, and alumni members were elected. Since its founding in 1902, more than 100,000 members have been added to the rolls.

One basic premise of the Society is that election to AΩA is not only a capstone of a student’s medical school career, but an obligation, both in his or her own personal life as a physician and as a dues-paying member of AΩA, to support the principled ideals set forth so effectively and lastingly by the founders throughout life. As is outlined below, programs for medical students are offered to each chapter and are funded by the national office of Alpha Omega Alpha. In addition, AΩA publishes an illustrated non-technical quarterly that is distributed to each dues paying member. Named The Pharos, the journal contains material on medical history, ethics, national issues, personal essays and poems.