Follow-up Study/Outcome Project (TAAA)

We propose to address the needs of family practice residency education in the care for the medically underserved and high risk, low-income, geriatric populations in both urban and rural settings, by systematically expanding and enhancing an existing longitudinal Community Oriented Primary Care (COPC)/Cultural Competency Curriculum. COPC combines the principles of primary care, epidemiology, and public health. It is a systemic process for identifying and addressing the health problems of a defined population using a five step process that includes: 1) defining and characterizing the community, 2) involving the community, 3) identifying community health problems, 4) developing an intervention and 5) monitoring the impact of the intervention.) Educational methodologies will be accomplished by community outreach activities incorporating COPC principles and the use of distance learning and distributed technologies to residents, faculty, and clinicians in both urban and rural Kentucky. Since 1900, the number of people in America aged 65 years or older has increased II-fold, from more than 3 million to almost 35 million (CDC website). Forty million Americans are uninsured, largely minorities and low-income whites. The access to health care for these populations has decreased, either as a result of socioeconomic barriers, geographic mal distribution, cultural barriers or a combination of these. These demographics underscore the need for improved health care services among populations such as the economically disadvantaged, the elderly, and/or culturally distinct. This project specifically addresses the Bureau of Health Profession's interest to support training in the areas of geriatrics, care for the underserved populations, and distance learning methodology with the ultimate goal of improving access to health care.