Rural Medicine Interest Group Spring Break ‘09

Laura Goodman, Kevin Kralik, Lindsay Tawa, Mirat Shah, Jon Halevy, Jessica Lee, Lindsay Hintz, Eliana Bonifacino,

Ben Meza

Why?• Service

– See need– Collaborate– RMIG, GHIG …

• Learning– Improve H & P skills

• Non-threatening, unhurried, • Motivational interviewing

– Practice awkward conversations

– Learn about different cultures• “the sugar”• A non-tertiary care

environment

Sat. BurgettstownSun. Cecil & WashingtonMon. Perryopolis & CharleroiTues. Avella/Cross Creek

Washington• 15,268 people• 81.88% White• 14.60% African American• 0.15% Native American• 0.45% Asian• 0.02% Pacific Islander• Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.94%• The median income for a household in the city was

$25,764• and the median income for a family was $34,862.• 16.4% of families were below the poverty line

Perryopolis

• Estimated median household income in 2007: $37,785

Charleroi

• Males: 2,048 (44.9%) Females: 2,517 (55.1%)• Estimated median household income in 2007

$29,673Pennsylvania: $48,576

• White (94.9%) • Black (3.2%) • Hispanic (0.7%)

Avella (Cross Creek)

• The population = 1,685.• White 1,654 • Median household income 38,226

THERE’S A HEALTH FAIR COMING TO YOUR

TOWN!!!When: Sunday, March 15th from Noon-4:00pmWhere: Burgettstown Community Library

Medical students from the University of Pittsburgh will be taking blood pressure

measuring body mass indexes (BMI) giving eye examinations

PLUS providing information on: smoking cessation high blood pressure

diabetes mental health

exercise and diet

ALL FOR FREE!

Adults and children welcome

Patient Demographics

• Saw 64 Patients through 3 Community SitesMean Age = 71 yrs old

• Mostly came from local towns, mostly caucasian

Majority of patients were women:• More proactive about health• More likely to go to library/senior center

Top health concerns included:1.Blood Pressure2.Cholesterol3.Diabetes4.Arthritis5.Watching weight

Health Care Concerns: • Many were happy with their health services • Quality of physicians, proximity to physicians• Lack of specialty health care- i.e. Dentists, Optometrists• Lack of emergency services

•Most of the patients went to a doctor’s office at least once a year and had health insurance.

How can we reach the people who need our services the most?

•Local Contacts to identify potential target populations•e.g. teenage mothers without prenatal care, house-bound seniors

•Advance Planning/Advertising•Local paper, flyering, church announcements

•Accessibility•Location, arranging car pools?

Lessons Learned

Access to doctors in rural areas is variable Services available Convenience Quality

Small towns may have multiple potential target groups which require different strategies to reach

Elderly (particularly those with limited mobility) Parents with young children Teens

Logistical issues

Future Plans

Additional trips: Participate in health fair in the fall Repeat health screenings; add additional services such

as flu shots Perform needs assessments to better target offerings Plan programs addressing community-specific needs

such as teen pregnancy Work with community contacts to publicize events and

better reach underserved groups