Urban Health Project wraps up successful summer
Twenty University of Cincinnati first-year medical students spent their summer volunteering with non-profit health organizations in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky via the Urban Health Project. The eight-week project’s purpose is two-fold: to provide extra help to the agencies so they can give their clients the best service possible, and to expose the medical students to the realities of the underserved community.
Once again, Cincinnati Children’s Medical Executive Committee helped fund the project.
Overall, interns contributed more than 4,800 hours of service to 2,400-plus individuals—for a total of $106,000 in free labor. Projects included teaching kids about the importance of nutrition and good hand hygiene; hosting workshops on healthy cooking and exercise for women in shelters, and organized health fairs for migrant workers.
Other activities were a social justice walking tour of the Over-the-Rhine area, led by the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition, and building access ramps and handrails at the homes of two needy families.
The interns presented posters about their service projects to UC College of Medicine faculty and other stakeholders. Andrew Beck, MD, associate professor, General and Community Pediatrics, was the keynote speaker.
For more information about the Urban Health Project, go to http://www.med2.uc.edu/uhp/.
