Taking Healthcare to the People: Mayo Clinic, Univ. of Pittsburgh Collaborate to Reach Patients Where They Live and Work
Mayo Clinic - Center for Transitional Science Activities
Despite the combined efforts of government agencies, healthcare providers and community leaders, there is still a large gap or "disparity" between populations when it comes to health outcomes and access to medical care. In some areas, the divide is between racial or ethnic groups; in others, there is a gap between people of different income levels, or between city-dwellers and rural populations. Experts say that cultural, language, social, economic and policy barriers all contribute to health disparities, and attempts to eliminate disparities must address those barriers in new and innovative ways.On Sept. 20, 2007, the Mayo Clinic Center for Translational Science Activities (CTSA) joined with the Center for Minority Health (CMH) at the University of Pittsburgh in a unique program called ‘Take a Health Professional to the People Day’ that sends teams of physicians, nurses, pharmacists and health educators to selected barber shops and beauty salons in Pittsburgh to deliver life-saving information and health screenings to customers along with their haircut or manicure. This collaboration is the inaugural event for Mayo’s Urban Immersion Program, which provides education and real-life experience for students and faculty with an interest in health disparities research.
Why barber shops and beauty salons? Because they are familiar and trusted institutions in the community where people gather to connect and exchange information. "Far too many African Americans have no ‘medical home’ to access health care services, so government programs that promote ‘taking a loved one to the doctor’ are not as effective for this community," explains Stephen B. Thomas, PhD, director of CMH. "Therefore, CMH created Take a Health Professional to the People Day. By focusing our efforts on a single day, we believe we can help generate a greater understanding of the importance of regular health screenings while at the same time reaching people who tend to have the least access to healthcare."
"The first step to addressing the significant health disparities that plague minority and underserved populations in the U.S. is building trust by reaching out to them in a familiar environment -- their own communities," says Dr. Sherine Gabriel, director of Education Resources for the Mayo Clinic Center for Translational Science Activities (CTSA). "We created the Urban Immersion Program in collaboration with Dr. Stephen Thomas and the CMH to help our students, faculty, researchers and physicians learn and apply these innovative community outreach strategies here at Mayo Clinic. Whether racial or ethnic minorities or underserved rural populations, we believe these strategies will make us more effective in reaching everyone in our service area."
Now in its fifth year, Take a Health Professional to the People Day has also become a classroom of sorts for health professionals and educators. Dr. Farah Ramirez-Marrero, a physiology researcher from the University of Puerto Rico who is currently a K12 scholar in the Mayo Clinic CTSA, was one of eight Mayo staff members traveling to Pittsburgh for Take a Health Professional to the People Day. "I gained valuable experience and confidence in delivering health services to people in a non-traditional setting," says Dr. Ramirez-Marrero. "Whether I’m working with minority or underserved rural populations here in the Midwest, or with disadvantaged patients in Puerto Rico, it’s important to build trust and really listen to what people want and need in regards to healthcare. Not everyone has the money, transportation or support to come to a large medical center like Mayo Clinic, so we need to find ways to take Mayo Clinic to them. Everyone deserves decent healthcare and a chance to participate in medical research that could benefit them or their family."
For more information on the Urban Immersion Program and other Mayo Clinic CTSA Education Resources activities, contact Karen Weavers at 507-284-1275 or visit CTSA Education Resources.
For more information about Take A Health Professional to the People Day and other activities of the University of Pittsburgh Center for Minority Health, visit www.cmh.pitt.edu..
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