UCLA Department of Family Medicine Fellowship
Sun Valley Community Health Project
June 23 - August 8, 2008
Program Director: Glenn Lopez, MD
The Sun Valley Community Health Project is an ongoing effort of the UCLA Department of Family Medicine whereby student volunteers develop a greater understanding of community-based health care delivery and access through direct intervention in an underserved community in the nearby San Fernando Valley region of the city of L.A.
The community...
The community of Sun Valley is located in the NE section of the SF valley just west of the Burbank airport and just east of Pacoima. The total population of S.V. is 53,118, of which 11,195 live below the federal poverty level. It is approximately 70% Latino, devoid of public/community health services, has an uninsured rate of over 40%, and is situated in a recently-designated environmental justice area due to the high concentration of contaminating industries in and around the community.
The school...
The Sun Valley Community Health Project is situated at the Sun Valley Middle School. Built initially for 1,400 students 40 years ago, the student body now has 3000 primarily Hispanic (94%) students. Once threatened by the state for closure secondary to poor student academic outcomes, S.V.M.S. has undergone a positive transformation over the past three years to which the UCLA Department of Family Medicine has been a visible contributor.
The projects...
Caryn Bernstein & Rona Brooks work the Sun Valley Asthma Screening & Early Intervention Program Booth at a Health Fair held at the Sun Valley Middle School
The National Institute of Health has declared asthma, particularly childhood asthma in minority populations, a national health priority due to the disproportionate burden in deaths and disability from asthma in minority populations. The UCLA Department of Family Medicine has implemented the Asthma Screening and Early Intervention Program at S.V.M.S. to expand the diagnosis and improve the management of childhood asthma. Screening of over 3200 students to date has revealed an asthma symptom prevalence of 14%, 48% of which is undiagnosed. This rate is significantly higher than the 6% reported by the LAC-Dept. of Health Services for Hispanic children countywide. It is through an ongoing asthma screening program that students with asthma are identified and individual family sessions are conducted to better understand the family dynamics, identify barriers to care, and strengthen the families' ability to manage the child's asthma and related conditions.
It is through the asthma project that the Department of Family Medicine has established the strong community ties necessary to address the more difficult issues of alcoholism/substance abuse, depression, family violence, and obesity/diabetes within Sun Valley. Although the predisposition of Hispanic Americans towards obesity and diabetes is known, there is a paucity of effective interventions to increase physical activity and sustain weight loss for low-income Hispanic American populations, thus helping to prevent the development of diabetes. The UCLA Department of Family Medicine is currently implementing the Sun Valley Diabetes Prevention and Early Intervention Program, or "Sun Valley Saludable" ("Healthy Sun Valley"), whose principle objective is to address the alarming rates of obesity, and thus reduce the incidence of diabetes, in Sun Valley through a community-based, culturally-acceptable, and reproducible diabetes prevention and early intervention program. The program has two components: a community-wide "walking groups" aspect whereby 35 walking groups are currently being established, and a forthcoming community-wide fingerstick glucose screening program whereby persons found to have pre-diabetes glucose levels will be offered participation in a two-year education and group-support intervention designed to prevent the eventual development of diabetes.
Student research fellows participate in the following components:
School-Based Asthma Project
Under the direction of Family Medicine faculty, fellows will "screen" the new cohort of 600 6th graders for asthma utilizing a screening questionnaire, identify those with asthma and other conditions commonly encountered in this adolescent population, and participate in the patient and family sessions.
Community-based Obesity/Diabetes Prevention Project
Under the direction of the Program Director, fellows will assist in the expansion of the "walking groups" program through selection of new community group facilitators, facilitator training and support. Fellows will also participate in the design, logistical support, and, pending (probable) UCLA IRB approval by June, participation in the community-wide glucose screening and educational/group support intervention for "screen (+)" persons.
Public Health/Community Medicine Lecture Series
This includes a series of didactic presentations and discussions concerning basic epidemiology, public health and primary care health care delivery to underserved populations in L.A. This will be done both in Sun Valley and jointly with the Harbor-UCLA track students.
Clinical Family Medicine
As an introduction to Family Medicine in the community, each student's weekly session includes working with an attending physician or senior resident at the UCLA teaching Family Medicine Clinic located in the Los Angeles County's Mid-Valley Health Center, Van Nuys just 3 miles from the Sun Valley Middle School in Van Nuys.
Fellowship Project/Presentation
Each student is responsible for presenting an aspect of the community health project at a poster forum at the UCLA Medical Center on August 1, 2008.
Faculty Leaders
Patrick Dowling, M.D., M.P.H., Professor and Chair of the UCLA Department of Family Medicine and UCLA Family Medicine faculty
Glenn Lopez, MD, was raised in Guatemala, graduated from Cornell Medical School and completed his family medicine training at Cook County Hospital in the mid 1980's. He worked in Guatemala for 10 years where he developed a rural health care model which was ultimately replicated to provide health services to over 3 million previously underserved rural inhabitants. Dr. Lopez is primarily involved in the implementation of community medicine projects through the UCLA Department of Family Medicine.
If you have any questions, please contact: Bahij Austin, (310) 825-1048.
