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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Arturo Torres, BA¹, Patricia Documét, MD, DrPH², Mary Herbert, MS, MPH³, and Thuy Bui, MD³. (1) School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, 16645 Valley Dr., Tampa, FL 33618, (2) Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, 130 DeSoto St., Room 223, Graduate School of Public Health, Pitsburgh, PA 15261, 412-624-1601, documetp@yahoo.com, (3) Program for Health Care to Underserved Populations, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, 933W Montefiore Hospital, 200 Lothrop St., Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Even though most Latino adults in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania work, approximately 38% lack health insurance. Census 2000 found that 19.6% lived below the poverty level, making it difficult to pay for care, prescriptions and transportation. Additionally, they live scattered and many have limited English proficiency.

In 2002 a group of University of Pittsburgh medical students formed SALUD (Students and Latinos United Against Disparities). In collaboration with the Program for Health Care to Underserved Populations (PHCUP), they began offering a student-based Spanish-English interpreter service each Saturday in a PHCUP free clinic staffed by volunteers.

Since Year 1, SALUD advertised its services through community outreach. In Year 3, outreach in a church setting was added, consisting of health education as well as blood glucose and blood pressure measurements.

The number of clinic patients increased from 120 to 325 in three years. This presentation compares the first 100 SALUD patients in 2003 to those in 2005 and incorporates data on the church outreach effort. Although most of the patient population is uninsured, there have been demographic shifts, including an increase in the proportion of Mexican origin patients, and changes in the conditions most frequently diagnosed. The relationship of those shifts with organizational and socioeconomic changes in the local population is analyzed.

SALUD represents the only interpreter-staffed free care option in Allegheny County. Its growth reflects both the need for such services and the maturity of the relationship of SALUD with the community. Options for continuation and growth of the program are considered.

Learning Objectives: After this presentation, participants will be able to

• Explain how medical students can work to build trust with a low-income community
• Explain how students can develop a culturally sensitive outreach model in a community with a dispersed population
• Outline the challenges of offering limited services to uninsured immigrants

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered