OHSU GIM and Central City Concern

OHSU and Central City Concern (CCC) have joined together to form an innovative “social medicine” partnership that places OHSU Internal Medicine resident physicians in safety net clinics where they are trained by OHSU General Internal Medicine & Geriatrics faculty and CCC staff to meet the medical needs of people who are homeless or recovering from addictions.

Through this partnership, OHSU has been helping CCC improve and increase medical services to its clientele.   In turn, CCC is committed to helping teach medical residents about safety net services and about the resources available to the uninsured in Portland, in addition to teaching residents specific skills needed to most effectively engage with Portland’s underserved population.

Currently eight OHSU faculty staff clinics at Central City Concern including Dr. Honora Englander of Hospital Medicine, as well as Dr. Meg Devoe, Dr. Brianna Sustersic, Dr. Brian Chan, Dr. Richard Gil, Dr. Andrew Seaman, Dr. Sharen Azar, and Dr. David Lawrence of General Internal Medicine.
 

What is "social medicine"?

A "social medicine" curriculum is based on the belief that the study of medicine should include an appreciation of the impact that social and behavioral factors have on health and illness and that the practice of medicine ought not to stop with clinical care on the individual level.  Rather, physicians must also understand and be able to address the social forces that impair health and encourage disease, such as poverty, homelessness and social disenfranchisement.

Similarly, physicians should have a working knowledge of behavioral medicine in order to address the health of their patients, including addiction medicine, as well as an understanding of an integrated approach to medicine which includes the disciplines of naturopathy and acupuncture.