Purpose: The UTRGV SOM Student Run Clinic (SRC) is a student- led organization that provides free primary care and promotes health equity in the Rio Grande Valley. Through the SRC, barriers of access to healthcare and health promotion are targeted, especially by emphasizing health literacy and patient advocacy. The SRC benefits not only our patients but medical students who work in the clinic, learning about the unique needs and culture of the underserved community while gaining clinical experience.
Description: The SRC brings teams of volunteer medical students and physicians to Peñitas, TX to provide free primary healthcare to vulnerable populations, including uninsured, undocumented, and low-income people. Since its start, SRC has grown through success and obstacles, such as structuring all our volunteer teams to include at least one Spanish speaker to provide care in the patients preferred language and establishing culturally competent relationships with the Peñitas community.
Partners: The SRC relies on our partnerships: the Peñitas community, medical student and physician volunteers, and the Proyecto Desarrollo Humano (PDH). PDH is a non-profit organization in Peñitas that allows us use of their clinic space as well as gives our patients continuity of care between our operations in their own clinic. The community of Peñitas is a source of our patients but also of clinic staff and promotoras that connect the patients to external resources. Medical student volunteers work in teams to conduct patient interviews and present to physician volunteers, who teach students and see patients. The SRC board of medical students manages and executes the clinic operations.
Looking Ahead: The SRC is an important part of decreasing disparities in the colonia we serve. We will perform a literature review of SRC publications, review and realign our board member roles, and perform an analysis of our Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) with stakeholders to strategize for our future. Lastly, we will develop and present our five-year strategic plan as a result of this exercis
