Health Equity Campaign Platform Resources

SOCIALLY & CULTURALLY RESPONSIBLE EDUCATION

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

• Medical Student Debt Webpage
  A great primer on the issue of medical student debt with facts, figures and resources available on the page and through links.
  
  
• Global Action For Children
  Resource which analyzes the barriers to universal education and outlines potential solutions to the problem. Global Action for Children (GAC) seeks to marshal the political will and financial resources needed to provide comprehensive support to orphans and other vulnerable children in developing countries. Specifically, GAC is committed to ensuring, through community-based solutions, that all children have access to essential health care, education, food and nutrition, and social protection. Only such a solid foundation will enable the world's children to build a promising future.
  
  
• CARE
  Recognizing that women and children suffer disproportionately from poverty, CARE places special emphasis on working with women to create permanent social change. Resource for advocates to demand that politicians take steps to ensure that all children go to school, have a qualified teacher and a reasonable class size with lessons taught in his/her own language.

PROJECTS

• So you want to be a doctor? - San Francisco State University
  Medical students spoke in high schools and gave a presentation encouraging minority high school students of color to pursue higher education and careers in science and health.
  
  
• Widening the Pipeline Plan
  AMSA grants current medical students and local chapters $200 for efforts to visit high school and middle schools to educate and mentor middle and high school students on health careers options. Slideshow on Pre-College Programs Geared Toward Increasing Diversity in the Sciences and Health Professions
  
  
• AMSA First 100 Hours Congressional Campaign on Student Debt
  Sign the pledge and write to your Congressional Senators and Representatives to tell them your position on medical student debt and how much it means to you.

HEALTH CARE WORKFORCE ACCESS & TRAINING

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

• Selecting a Community Responsive Residency
  A booklet describing the options for graduate training in community-based practices.
  
  
• Primary Care Educational Modules: The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Educational Program for Clinical and Community Issues in Primary Care
  Through experiential learning, problem-solving, and interactive exercises, the modules help current and future clinicians begin to understand contemporary practice settings, cross-cultural issues and disease patterns. The modules aim to stimulate discussion of clinical, social and personal issues among those considering careers in primary care.
  
  
• AMSA: Take the Challenge! Student Action for Zero Health Disparities
  Slide show outlining issues present among marginalized and underserved populations while addressing the impact of medical student acceptance standards as a possible cause of continued shortage of workers.
  
  
• The Cultural Competency in Medical Education Guidebook
  Suggests an explanation of why culturally competent medical education is important. Strategies for preparing medical school faculty to teach cultural competency through integration, suggested curriculum outline for cultural competency.
  
  
• Disparities in Dental Care
  Information on disparities in dental care and access including dental health fact sheets. Also information on enrollment of minorities in Dental School
  
  
• Cultural Competency and Health Disparities in Medicine- University of Illinois COM Chicago
  Summer reading program to expose incoming students to cultural competency and health disparities in medicine by reading The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman and Waking Up in America: How One Doctor Brings Hope to Those Who Need it Most by Dr. Pedro Jose Greer, Jr. Dr. Greer came and spoke to students about his book and the importance of health disparities in medicine. There were also small group discussions.
  
  
• Amnesty International
  Promotes the rights of asylum seekers in the US and for the human and dignified treatment of refugees and migrants.
  
  
• Physician for Human Rights
  Resource outlining the need for comprehensive prevention, treatment, and care for injection drug users.

PROJECTS

• Foreign Language Lunch- at Saint Louis University SOM
  AMSA and Family Medicine Interest Group sponsored a lunchtime learning series that featured Bosnian, Vietnamese, and Spanish translators. In three separate rooms, each translator met with a group of students to address cultural competence in working with patients and tips for working with translators in the medical setting. Medical students, as well as PT/OT, nursing, and other allied health students were invited.
  
  
• Unity Week- University of Pittsburgh SOM
  AMSA helped several different organizations hold a series of lunches and workshops geared towards underrepresented individuals in medicine. AMSA specifically sponsored a lunch focusing on medical needs of recovering addicts, jailed individuals, homeless, and refugee populations. Speakers who will discuss diversity in medicine, including cultural song and dance performances by student groups.

SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

• Institute of Medicine
  Two power point presentations that capture the essence of their extensive research on healthcare disparities.
  • Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Healthcare
    Presents data on disparities in the U.S.
    
    
  • Clinical Discretion and Disparities in the Clinical Encounter
    Describes problems in the patient-physician relationship, including stereotyping and biases.
  
  
• AMSA: Eliminating Health Disparities
  Great background information and good project links. Schools can use this page to set up small seminars and/or discussion forums on the topic. Good Fact Sheets.
  
  
• AMSA: "Breaking Barriers" Modules

  Breaking Barriers I: Introduction to Barriers to Health Care

  Breaking Barriers II: Racial and Ethnic Minorities

  Breaking Barriers III: Lack of Health Insurance | PowerPoint (969 KB)

  Breaking Barriers IV: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) | PowerPoint (349 KB)

  Breaking Barriers V: Barriers to Rural Health Care

  
  
  
• Race, Trust, and Tuskegee: Professional Ethics, Broken Trust and Health Disparities
  Examines trust as an important factor in eliminating health disparities. The U.S. Public Health Service's Syphilis experiment conducted from 1932 to 1972 at Tuskegee was a study in which well-respected researchers withheld commonly available medical treatment from African American males. This project uses this example as the framework to show how trust was broken. This speaker's kit contains a power point presentation, speaker's notes, and bibliography which are meant as a starting point for creating a presentation on Physician Ethics, Trust, and Health Disparities. The presentation should be broken into segments addressing some of the points, data, resources, and references to create a customized presentation that meets specific goals, needs, and timeframe.
  
  
• Racial/Ethnic Differences in Cardiac Care: The Weight of the Evidence
  This four-page report summarizes the findings of The Kaiser Family Foundation and the American Cardiology Family Foundation on racial and ethnic disparities in cardiac care.
  
  
• AMSA: Slide Show on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
  Detailed information on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender issues including: Sexual minorities, LGBT barriers to health, lack of health insurance, categories of LGBT health issues and resources.
  
  
• AMSA: Health Care for the Homeless
  Resources on health care for homeless populations. Contains a student organizer's guide and suggestions for planning activities. Includes a project in a box and other information
  
  
• CARE
  CARE not only feeds the hungry, we also help tackle underlying causes of poverty so that people can become self-sufficient. Analyzes the link between poverty and treatable illnesses in children. Resource for the links between poverty and health, education and exploitation.
  
  
• Global Rights
  A human rights advocacy group that partners with local activists to challenge injustice and amplify new voices within the global discourse. With offices in countries around the world, we help local activists create just societies through proven strategies for effecting change. Global Rights emphasizes promoting women's human rights and combating discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity or sexual orientation.
  • Racism
    Resources to help advocates raise their voices in international efforts to fight racism.
  
  
• Women's Rights
  Provides information for the promotion of women's rights-including economic economic rights-and confronts the human rights abuses that occur because of harmful cultural, social, and religious beliefs.
  
  
• National Minority AIDS Council
  Established in 1987, the National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) is the premiere national organization dedicated to developing leadership within communities of color to address the challenges of HIV/AIDS.
  
  • HIV/AIDS among minority populations
    Resources to help you increase your understanding of HIV/AIDS in minority populations.
  
  
• Gender Health - Reproductive Rights
  Expanding Choices-Resources for the advancement of reproductive rights

PROJECTS

• Starting a student run homeless clinic: A Guide for Health Professions Students on the Process of Establishing a Clinic
  A Guidebook for Health Professions Students on the Process of Establishing a Clinic - developed through the combined effort of the AMSA Foundation and the Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Primary Health Care, Division of Programs for Special Populations, Health Care for the Homeless Branch.
  
  
• Speaker on Street Medicine- Penn State COM
  Operation Safetynet
  StreetMedicine.org
  Invited Dr. Jim Withers from Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh to talk about his experiences in practicing street medicine and setting up Operation Safety Net in Pittsburgh, which provides free health care to the homeless in that area. Lunch was provided. The event was co-sponsored by Lion Care, a free clinic in Harrisburg run by Penn State med students
  
  
• People of Detroit: a Living Project-at Wayne State University SOM
  Purpose is to examine and portray the lives of the citizens of Detroit through their words and through photography, with a focus on health care experiences and disparities. The project is designed to grow to attain a state, regional, and national area. The ultimate goal of the project is to raise consciousness about health care issues and to change health care.
  
  
• Health Care Worker Action Toolkit
  Education towards empowerment-This kit provides background on the health workforce crisis as well as tools to raise the issue with the media and policy makers.

QUALITY OF CARE

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

• CHANGE - Health Sector Reform
  Analyzes the implications of user fees on access to healthcare as well as on reproductive rights. The Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE) is a U.S.-based non-governmental organization focused on the effects of U.S. international policies on the health and rights of women, girls, and other vulnerable populations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
  
  
• Healthy People 2010 Slide show
  Provides framework for prevention. It is a statement of national health objectives designed to identify the most significant preventable threats to health and to establish national goals to reduce these threats. Contains health indicators, fact sheets and an online slide show.
  
  
• Disparities in Mental Health
  Fact sheet on mental health disparities, information on barriers to care, possible solutions.
  
  
• Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Health
  Provides information on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender issues in access to care and LGBT health issues.

PROJECTS

• State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)
  Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
  SCHIP is up for renewal in the new Congress. If the renewal is not passed by September 30, 2007 then all funding for this program will be suspended. We must take action. SCHIP is a partnership between the federal government and states designed to provide health insurance coverage for low-income children under age 19 who are not eligible for Medicaid.
  
  
• The Children's Defense Fund's Student Health Outreach (SHOUT) Project
  The CDF SHOUT program (Student Health Outreach™ Project) is a student-run program of the Children's Defense Fund that strives to ensure that all of our nation's children have access to the health care they deserve. Includes a SHOUT toolkit and information on how students can become involved.
  
  
• National Primary Care Week
  Week of action to educate students about the issues in primary care, health policy, and curricular reform.
  
  
• AMSA: Who's Your Doctor? Campaign
  Encourages minority groups to establish a relationship with a primary care physician before they are ill.
  
  
• Who's Your Doctor Health Fair- Wayne State University SOM
  National AMSA campaign to raise awareness about the disparities that exist in accessing health care for minorities. Emphasized the importance of having a primary care physician. Hosted the National AMSA officers and had a health fair that was free for people in the Detroit Community to attend. After the health fair there was a summit with various speakers who talked about this issue.
  
  
• Cover the Uninsured Week of Action
  Information on Cover the Uninsured Week features weeklong events to increase awareness on the nearly 47 million uninsured people in America. Resources on how to plan events, a guide to finding health insurance coverage in your state, statistics on number of uninsured individuals by state, and current news from the campaign.
  
  
• AMSA: Medicare Provider Toolkit
  Help Medicare patients and their families understand and sign up for the new Medicare drug benefit. Information on who to call, where to apply and what kind of coverage is available is covered.
  
  
• Michigan Health Care Rally- at Michigan State University CHM
  "Health Care Outreach to Populations in Need" Medical Students and Faculty Join Local Community to Rally at State Capitol, Free Food, free health screenings. More than 30 different health care organizations supported the rally and set up booths to provide information on health programs.