A New Approach to Community Outreach in Student-Run Clinics

Briana O'Leary; James Gregoire

Briana O'Leary Tulane University School of Medicine
James Gregoire Tulane University School of Medicine

Abstract

Fleur de Vie Ruth Fertel (FdV) is a Tulane University School of Medicine student-run clinic that offers free health care to the local community on the second and fourth Saturdays of every month. Over the past year, FdV has encountered low patient volumes because it stopped receiving patient referrals from the weekday clinic with which it shares a space. In order to solve this issue, the FdV clinic formed a partnership with and created three community outreach positions filled by students at the Tulane University School of Public Health. With these new community outreach leaders, the aim is to spread awareness about the FdV clinic and increase patient volume through health screenings, flu shot fairs, and community education classes. Other student-run clinics could also benefit from this type of partnership not only to improve patient flow but also to increase community engagement, utilize resources unfamiliar to medical students, and provide improved quality of care to patients.

Author Biographies

Briana O'Leary, Tulane University School of Medicine

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Briana O'Leary is a member of the Tulane University School of Medicine Class of 2018. She graduated cum laude from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2014 with a B.S. in Psychobiology. Throughout her time at UCLA, she was involved with Peer Health Exchange, through which she taught health classes in local high schools. Continuing her work in community health and education, she is currently a co-leader at Fleur de Vie Ruth Fertel, a student-run primary care clinic at Tulane.

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James Gregoire, Tulane University School of Medicine

James Gregoire is a member of the Tulane University School of Medicine Class of 2018. He graduated with honors from Boston College in 2012 with a B.S. in Psychology, where he completed his undergraduate honors thesis in the lab of E. Kensinger on the effects of facial expressions on emotions. James also received his M.S. in Medical Sciences from Boston University in 2014, where he completed his graduate thesis on the validity of the Paleolithic diet. He is currently a co-leader at Fleur de Vie Ruth Fertel, a student-run primary care clinic at Tulane.