Our Community Health Efforts

In addition to the core curriculum, faculty, fellows, residents, and staff have opportunities for involvement in several unique community health initiatives.

As physicians and other healthcare providers, our commitment extends beyond the walls of clinics and hospitals. Latinos are the largest minority group in the country and among the most underserved minorities regarding access to care and health outcomes. We are hoping to narrow the gap between UVA and minority communities locally and enhance cultural competency among UVA students and faculty. Institutional, faculty, and student dedication to these groups can strengthen inclusion within our institution through the UVA Latino Health Initiative.

The Charlottesville Free Clinic was founded in 1992 by two University of Virginia Internal Medicine residents. Many residents volunteer at this nonprofit clinic, which serves Charlottesville and the surrounding counties. It provides free care and medications to working, resource-limited patients and others who “fall through the cracks” of the health care system. Since the clinic’s inception, many Internal Medicine Residents have taken on significant roles in medical care provision and administrative functions, such as medical directorship.

Kasey Little, PGY-3, is one of our residents who has been very involved in our Free Clinic.

The patients are exceedingly grateful. Working at the Free Clinic reminds me that being a doctor is ultimately about choosing a life of service to others.

I’ve enjoyed volunteering at the free clinic. I’ve committed to doing it one evening per month, and while I will admit that I am often tired from my day when I show up, I always leave energized. The free clinic fills a unique niche in the community for under-resourced patients who still earn too much money or have too many assets to qualify for Medicaid or free or reduced-cost care at UVA. I’ve been amazed by the variety of backgrounds and stories I’ve encountered at the free clinic. The clinic itself is pretty robust, offering subspecialty services, mental health care, and dental care. Once I became a PGY-2, I could work independently, seeing patients, diagnosing, and treating them on my own, without the oversight or influence of an attending physician. This is an intellectual challenge and thrill, and gives a taste of what life might be like in my future practice. Many other UVA physicians volunteer at the clinic, as well as others from the community. I frequently run into Dr. Nadkarni, now Chief of General Medicine at UVA and a preceptor at our resident continuity clinic. He co-founded this clinic when he was a UVA resident in 1992.

Dr Drew Harris (left) at the Wise remote clinic with former UVA pulmonary fellow Dr Sean Callahan and retired pulmonologist and health wagon volunteer Dr Joe Smiddy

Some residents volunteer to participate in the Remote Area Medical (RAM) Clinic, held in Wise, Virginia, which is five hours from Charlottesville in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. This University-supported activity provides healthcare to underserved populations who come to the annual clinic from a 4-5 state area. Services include mammography, colon cancer screening, retinal screening via telemedicine technology, and some gynecological procedures. Comprehensive screening for diabetes and hypertension was a special focus at a recent clinic. Each year, more than 250 UVA Health System volunteers provide care to over 1,000 patients during the three-day event.