TTUHSC El Paso’s Medical Student Run Clinic Operates Largely on Outside Funding.
The Paul L. Foster School of Medicine’s Medical Student Run Clinic (MSRC) operates twice a month in the Sparks colonia, a community of more than 8,000 in far East El Paso.
Located far from El Paso’s urban center, colonias are underserved neighborhoods that often lack basic city services such as paved roads, public transportation, sewage, trash pickup or clean running water. Residents of these colonias typically have poor access to health care services, however the MSRC and its Mobile Care Unit have increased access through services that range from blood pressure, glucose and lipid checks to life-saving screenings.
In addition to providing free primary health care services such as diagnostics, blood work and cancer screenings, the MSRC provides educational outreach in English and Spanish to increase awareness of and approaches to managing diseases and conditions that commonly affect the U.S.-Mexico border population.
Through the MSRC, student volunteers and TTUHSC El Paso faculty engage with residents from Sparks and nearby colonias and empower them to take charge of their health.
“The volunteers at the Medical Student Run Clinic and the clinic’s Mobile Care Unit are committed to addressing the health care needs of our community and breaking down barriers related to access, cost and transportation that often deter patients from getting the care they need,” said Maureen Francis, M.D., FACP, assistant dean for medical education at the Foster School of Medicine and medical director of the Medical Student Run Clinic.
The MSRC operates largely on outside funding and since its founding in 2013, the MSRC has received more than 1,465 patient visits. The clinic has not only gained the community’s trust, but it has become the primary source of health care to patients in this area.
YOU CAN HELP
At TTUHSC El Paso, we are committed to growing our own health care heroes and changing the state of health care in our Borderplex. For more information about how you can help, please contact andrea.tawney@ttuhsc.edu or craig.holden@ttuhsc.edu or visit ttuhscep.edu/elpaso/ia/giving/.
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