Guidelines

Soros Service Program for Community Health

Application Guidelines

Note: This program has ended and is no longer accepting applications.

The Baltimore Summer Internship Program is an intensive eight-week program for medical students between their first and second years of medical school. The internship provides an opportunity for selected students to actively pursue a professional interest in community health, underserved populations health care, health justice and advocacy. One community-based organization (CBO) serves as the primary host for each student during the internship, with opportunities to also rotate through other organizations with similar missions and population foci. In addition to community placements, students attend weekly seminars led by mentors and faculty from participating organizations and area medical schools, as well as other experts. These seminars introduce students to key concepts related to medical professionalism and to providing healthcare in diverse, medically underserved urban communities. Examples of seminar topics include: Health care to homeless persons, Health care to working poor families, HIV/AIDS care in the community, Substance Abuse care in the community, and Immigrant health care. Finally, all of the summer students participate in a group project that consists of conducting a community-based access to care survey and drafting a report and policy recommendations that are presented at an end-of-session press conference.

2004 Participating CBOs

• Beans and Bread Outreach Center
  Beans and Bread, since 1977, has provided help and hope for more than 1 million hungry homeless and needy persons. Through its meal programs and learning center, Beans and Bread offers care, concern and hope. At its Frederick Ozanam house, Beans and Bread offers transitional housing and homeless outreach services such as counseling, information and referral, health and legal services.
  http://www.vincentbaltimore.org/beans_bread.html
• Chase Brexton Health Services
  Chase Brexton offers "hands-on" experience with clinical HIV care, including the latest treatments and research trends. A critical part of the Chase Brexton experience will be the interaction with people of different cultures and backgrounds in a number of settings. Chase Brexton believes this experience will provide a better understanding of health beliefs and the challenges of disease management in these populations. Chase Brexton hopes to show the importance of the role of physician as advocate for less empowered individuals and communities.
  http://www.chasebrexton.org
• Franciscan Center
  The Franciscan Center is a nonprofit Emergency Outreach Center serving the poor and homeless in Baltimore. Established in 1968, the Franciscan Sisters opened their doors to serve 30 people with food and clothing. They now serve over one hundred thousand men, women and children a year. Services include an onsite lunch program, food pantry, clothing distribution program, emergency assistance; HIV/AIDS outreach programs, counseling and advocacy.
• Health Care for the Homeless
  The Health Care for the Homeless (HCH) clinic in Baltimore provides comprehensive primary health care services to homeless persons in and around Baltimore City. On-site services include primary medical care, mental health care, case management, outreach services and addiction services. HCH offers an opportunity to gain the knowledge of the demographics and causes of homelessness, learn about available resources, and experience the various settings where homeless persons live and interact. Given their emphasis on homeless healthcare, HCH educates health care providers about the needs of people experiencing homelessness as well as how to advocate on their behalf.
  http://www.hchmd.org
• Health Education Resource Organization
  Health Education Resource Organization (HERO) is a not for profit, community-based agency, dedicated to providing direct services and prevention and outreach education to persons with HIV/AIDS. Since its inception in 1983, HERO has provided case management, financial assistance, legal services, volunteers, mental health services, and a Community Resource Center for those who are HIV-positive. Outreach services and HIV prevention education are targeted to homeless persons, substance abusers, sex workers and women in low-income housing projects.
  http://www.hero-mcrc.org
• Paul's Place
  Founded in 1982 as a soup kitchen, for the "street people" of Pigtown in Baltimore, Paul's Place has become a multifaceted outreach center assisting the residents as well as the homeless to obtain skills that foster greater pride, independence and self-respect. Current programs include hot lunches, free nurse's clinic, kids place - summer camp, literacy program, women's support group, NA, legal assistance, job readiness and emergency assistance and referrals.
  http://www.redeemeronline.com/outreach/paulsplace
• Shepherd's Clinic
  Shepherd's Clinic is an inner city health clinic for adults and children. The Clinic opened it doors to patients in June 1991 to provide primary health care to individuals who have no health insurance - most of whom are employed. From its inception, the Clinic has only accepted uninsured patients, not accepting Medicare, Medicaid or payment from any other third party. The Clinic is able to provide these services through the dedication of a group of volunteers, including active and retired physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners and others.
• St. Michael Outreach Center
  St. Michael Outreach Center is bilingual (English/Spanish) program that just opened its doors on September 2000. Created in collaboration with St. Michael Catholic Church to replace the closed Joseph House, the Center provides food assistance and social services, with a special emphasis on meeting the needs of persons of Latino origin.
  http://www.vincentbaltimore.org/st_Michael.html

The Community Health Project
Over the last three years, the community health project has provided students with the opportunity to learn about participatory research methods and how such research can translate into advocacy efforts on behalf of vulnerable populations. Past collective research projects have focused on:

• Inside Baltimore's Safety Net: Where people go for health and social service needs, why, and will these resources be there in the future?"
  Open Society Institute-Baltimore, July 30, 2001
• Baltimore Safety Net Access-to-Care Survey 2002: How are people ending up in the Safety Net and how safe are they?"
  Open Society Institute-Baltimore, July 30, 2002
• Baltimore Safety Net Access-to-Care Survey, 2003: Navigating the health care system without health insurance: An uphill battle"
  Open Society Institute-Baltimore, July 30, 2003

Program Details
Enrollment is open to approximately 10 students from U.S. medical schools in 2004. A stipend of $1,500 will be awarded to students selected to participate in the Baltimore internship program, which can augment stipends that are provided by your host medical school (please check with your respective Dean of Student Affairs to determine whether any funds might be available to you for either the community-based curriculum or research project). The OSI staff and members of the Baltimore consortium are willing to write letters in support of applicants' requests for match funding.

2004 Program Dates
The Summer Internship Program will be held from June 14th through August 6th with accommodations made for finals exams that extend beyond the start date. The deadline for receipt of your application is Friday, February 27th, 2004.

Travel and Housing
There are no additional stipends available for student traveling or boarding accommodations. However, a list of temporary housing options, which can be helpful in arranging short-term accommodations, will be made available upon request.

Application
Please see the Baltimore Community Health Internship Brochure or call the Open Society Institute-Baltimore office at 1-410-234-1091 to receive an application.