RMD - 735 Health Care and Homelessness

There are innumerable health care disparities within the homeless community that many medical students want to address over the course of their careers. The Health Care and Homelessness elective is designed to have M4 students develop the skills and knowledge necessary to practice social medicine, specifically as it relates to homeless health. Social medicine focuses on understanding how social and economic conditions impact health, disease and the practice of medicine and on fostering conditions in which this understanding can lead to a healthier society. As such, the planned curriculum will have students rotate through Heartland Alliance Health’s federally qualified health centers and adjunct community resource sites. Objectives will span topics in housing, addiction, social services, benefits eligibility, mental health treatment structures, food and nutrition, harm reduction and trauma informed care. The breadth of experiences is intended to give students an understanding of the social determinants of health, as well as assist in answering relevant questions such as “How do we help patients obtain benefits?” and “How can we help our patients obtain housing?” Prerequisites: MED-703, NEU-701, OBG-703, PED-701, PSY-701, RMD-701 and SUR-701. Offered: fall, spring and summer. Retake Counts for Credit: No. Pass/No Pass Grading Allowed: No. Credit(s): 2-4