This press release contains dated information and should be used for background only.
Thanks to the efforts of some University of Kansas School of Medicine students, uninsured and underinsured residents in the area will have access to some basic medical care through the JayDoc Free Clinic.
The clinic is being made possible through a "Caring for Community" grant from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and the Pfizer Medical Humanities Initiative. The program at KU is one of just eight such projects being funded nationwide through the program.
The JayDoc Free Clinic will be open on Wednesday evenings, beginning August 13. Second and third year medical students will operate the facility under the oversight of volunteer physicians. Additionally, eight undergraduate volunteers from KU will work in the clinic.
The clinic will be located at the existing Southwest Boulevard Family Health Clinic, which is located on the corner of Southwest Boulevard and Rainbow in Kansas City, Kan.
Students from KU have worked since last October to secure funding for the program. All of the grant applications, logistics and staffing plans had to be performed by students to qualify for the AAMC program.
Jennifer Scott Koontz, who is entering her third year of medical school, is the executive chairman of the organization. Sara Blake, third year, is community service director; Phong Hu, third year, is research director, Mayra Sanchez, second year is protocol director; Chet Schrader, second year is logistics director; and Matt Weiss, fourth year, is finance director.
The mission statement for the clinic states: "Our main goal is to address the language, cultural and financial barriers to health care access in Wyandotte County by providing primary care services and preventive medicine at no charge, integrated with on-site language interpretation and adolescent youth outreach. The clinic will be open to everyone, but we hope to serve especially the indigent, uninsured, Hispanic, adolescent youth, and to people without access to healthcare."
Editor's note: Also attached is the release from the AAMC announcing the program and other seven institutions receiving funding. The students involved in the program are available for interview. Please contact our office.