Role of public health in a student-run health clinic

Over 40 student-run medical clinics in the U.S. have emerged to respond to the needs of the underserved. The Houston Outreach, Medicine, Education, and Social Services (HOMES) Clinic is a multi-institutional, inter-professional, student-run free clinic incorporating medical, pharmacy, and public health students to serve the homeless population of Houston. The purpose of this paper is to describe the roles of public health students in the HOMES model and promote the diffusion of this model in other student-run clinics. At HOMES, public health students function: 1) as advocates for their patients by promoting a holistic approach that considers all aspects of the patient's experience beyond the symptoms central to the biological disease model; 2) to improve the medical team's understanding of environmental and social health factors; 3) to model and provide feedback to the team after the patient visit regarding how communication, history taking, or listening skills could be improved during the interview process; and 4) to conduct research with the HOMES patient population. When managing, public health students oversee clinic flow, help develop plans for continuous care, provide information on resources, answer questions, and help patients from a macro-perspective of healthcare. Through their participation in the HOMES Clinic, public health students widen their perspective on clinical care, operationalize the interdisciplinary model, and gain experience managing human resources in healthcare systems. Public health students aid healthcare professionals by providing a population health perspective and emphasizing socioeconomic health determinants that improve the breadth of services and interventions for the homeless population.