Matching Items (2)
Filtering by
Description
This project discusses a Medical-Legal Partnership (MLP) between the Arizona Legal Center (ALC) and the Student Health Outreach for Wellness (SHOW) clinic. The ALC is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) legal aid clinic located in at the Beus Center for Law and Society alongside the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University. They are a community- based legal aid service that helps low income and underserved populations find answers and solutions to their legal questions through free of charge consultations. The ALC is primarily operated by student volunteers and volunteer attorneys. The SHOW clinic is a tri-university, student-led community-based project that works to provide whole person health care for poor, low income, or underserved individuals in Phoenix, Arizona. I was given the opportunity to join in this effort through my role as an undergraduate student volunteer at the ALC during the summer of 2017. Planning and coordination between these two entities has been ongoing, and after several months of work, the partnership has reached a more formative state. Our team estimates our partnership will be implemented into clinical facilities and operational by the Fall of 2018. By the summer of 2018, the SHOW clinic will be providing medical services at three locations: the Human Services Campus clinic, Crossroads Flower clinic, and Crossroads Mesa clinic. These clinical sites are where the MLP between the ALC and SHOW will operate. The ALC will provide legal consultations at each facility once a month, every month during the fall semester of 2018. They will also conduct educational workshops for facility patients once a month, every month. The following paper discusses: 1) a brief history of healthcare delivery and healthcare trends in the United States, 2) discusses what Medical-Legal Partnerships are and why they should be used, 3) specific health needs in the state of Arizona, 4) the developmental process of this specific partnership, 4) the challenge of medical and legal confidentiality, 5) and a proposed timeline of how we intend to successfully implement our partnership at clinical sites.
ContributorsAlvarenga, Montserrat (Author) / Rigoni, Adam (Thesis director) / Feeney, Michele (Committee member) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Short-term medical volunteer work via a nongovernmental organization is a popular tool for students in the health care field to gain experience, while further providing communities that normally lack health care options the opportunity to receive free care. One such organization, VIDA Volunteer Travel, has been successful in implementing this model in Central America. However, organizations of this form have not been evaluated for effectiveness or improvement. This exploratory study examines the effectiveness of VIDA based on six qualifying characteristics that make up a successful NGO. The researcher conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 21 individuals, including VIDA staff members in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, health professionals working for VIDA, local community leaders, and volunteers participating in VIDA's programs. Summaries and quotes of these interviews were uploaded and analysed using Atlas.ti to identify common words and themes from the interviews. Informants frequently identified the organization as sustainable, both from a fiscal and ecological standpoint. The organization also successfully managed volunteers, although post-trip follow-up was lacking. Adherence to the mission statement and distribution of supplies allowed for improved organization and successful structure of the organization. Education and health promotion was also emphasized, although implementation of this education into the communities was lacking. Collaboration with the community and volunteers allowed for stringent, successful treatment to be given to patients, and ethical guidelines set up by the organization allowed for self-governance and improvement of the NGO. This study suggests future research opportunities for the organization, to evaluate its own impact and opportunities for improvement. Furthermore, suggestions are addressed that allow the organization to improve upon its well-implemented infrastructure, and allow for future organizations to use VIDA as a model for improvement.
ContributorsPearson, Presley Kyle (Author) / Yoshioka, Carlton (Thesis director) / Wang, Lili (Committee member) / Larsen, Dale (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor)
Created2013-05