Track Mission

The University of Connecticut Internal Medicine Program’s Community Health Alliance Track (CHAT) is a three-year longitudinal curriculum integrated within the main residency curriculum designed specifically for residents who envision building strong partnerships with our community, and who see value in community-informed healthcare.  Our mission:  By the end of this track, residents will receive the training necessary to recognize factors impacting health, longevity and well-being in our neighborhoods, identify local stakeholders and resources to partner with in addressing these, and promote healthcare access and a sense of belonging in the healthcare setting for all our patients here.

Goals

By the end of this track, residents will be leaders within our Internal Medicine Program in promoting care consistent with Society of General Internal Medicine Task Force recommendations, and be able to:

• Assess health, well-being and longevity gaps and strengths in the communities we serve, working with community members to promote positive paths forward.
• Identify biases, attitudes and behaviors that detract from a sense of belonging in the health care setting, and develop effective responses to mitigate these, including providing trauma-informed care.
• Assess local barriers to accessing health resources, and construct plans to address these.
• Partner with community stakeholders whose missions and resources are critical to local health and well-being.
• Promote a healthy environment.
• Build community health alliances via listening sessions, roundtable conversations, legislative advocacy, scholarship, research, teaching and volunteerism.

Curriculum

The Community Health Alliance curriculum emphasizes community-informed learning and healthcare optimized by this learning. We engage through listening and service events, Roundtable discussions, legislative advocacy, scholarship, research, teaching, and directly caring for the most disadvantaged persons in our neighborhoods.

The Community Health Alliance curriculum is member-developed. Track members and community stakeholders chose mutually relevant topics, so we may learn about and tackle longevity gaps, community health and environmental concerns, and other factors directly impacting local well-being.  After events, members document topic content, resources, and key local partners, posted for ongoing use for track members.

Community Listening and Roundtable Discussions

Our monthly roundtables and events are track-member led.  Each year, every track member develops and moderates one Roundtable with a community health lens, or co-leads a service or listening event, in conjunction with local partners on a mutually relevant topic. We value these partners and subject matter experts who help us tailor discussions and events to better meet our community’s health and well-being needs and optimize local resource-informed care for patients.  If our partners are agreeable, some events may be opened to a wider community of learners, and/or have our longitudinal support.  After events, members summarize and post key learning content, resources, and partnerships for our use in caring for patients.

Serve

Track residents have the opportunity to care for under-served local populations at high risk for poor health and well-being outcomes.  These optional longitudinal experiences will be substituted for other clinical/QI time in Y blocks. At this time these are only open to Community Health Alliance track members.

Charter Oak Street Medicine: Our track members pioneered a street medicine outreach service in collaboration with Charter Oak, a federally qualified health center. For two mornings during Y Blocks, track members have the option to join Charter Oak’s mobile medicine van team, serving Hartford’s unhoused population at various neighborhood and shelter stops. Track members experience longitudinal care delivery on the streets of Harford with an experienced community team, and assess social and environmental determinants of health for persons seeking care.  There is an option to complete a Quality Improvement project with the Charter Oak team.

Malta House for Uninsured: Malta House of Care is a volunteer-based non-profit organization that provides free primary care services to 1,400 uninsured adults annually. Malta House of Care was founded in 2006 with the vision that healthcare is a right, not a privilege. For two Monday mornings during Y Blocks, track members have the option to join the Malta House team. This pioneering educational activity trains our internal medicine residents to reach and provide care for uninsured patients who otherwise may not be able to access care. This activity also offers the opportunity to complete a quality improvement project, working within an interprofessional team, that directly addresses healthcare disparities impacting our most vulnerable populations and neighborhoods.

Teaching & Mentorship

Bi-weekly Community Health Curriculum contribution: Track members contribute three teaching topics each year for their residency peers, linked to biweekly ambulatory curriculum topics. These curriculum supplements benefit the entire Internal Medicine residency program.

Curriculum Development: As Roundtables occur, the information presented becomes part of our track curriculum, accessible as resources to members. Additionally, track members in the Street Medicine experience use cold weather, slower months to prepare locally-informed curricular topics, resources for patients and physicians, or other projects that support Street Medicine teams. Past members’ contributions helped build our Street Medicine curriculum.

Mentorship: Track residents serve as program mentors on community determinants of health and well-being.  Wherever their clinical site, track members are asked to mentor students, fellow colleagues, and faculty in assessing for, addressing, and coding for these factors, to optimize healthcare delivery for everyone.

Advocate

Track members consider local determinants of health and may advocate around health topics impacting our communities, or join existing advocacy conversations.  Over Connecticut’s Legislative Season, track members may review community health-related bill proposals, engage in letter-writing, or testify. Prior track members wrote in support of a state bill on Community Health Workers, which successfully passed in the 2023 legislative session.

Time Commitment

1. Mandatory track monthly meetings are generally held one Wednesday evening a month, with the caveat that we find mutually agreeable times with our community partners. A few times a year, these may fall on a Saturday. Our monthly meetings are when Roundtables or other events occur, with time for track updates at the end of these. Before a resident leads a Roundtable or event, mandatory planning meetings are necessary.  After leading, content summary for posting is mandatory.
2. As noted above, all track members complete three mandatory community determinants of health-focused emails each year.
3. In Y blocks, one morning per week is used for track time. Track members -- PGY3s, PGY2s, and PGY1s in the second half of the year-- may opt to join the Charter Oak mobile care van team (Street Medicine) or Malta House team (Care for Uninsured). Alternatively, time may be used for preparing community resources, building track curriculum, community advocacy, or other scholarly work around community health for dissemination, particularly if track Honors with Distinction is sought (see below).
4. Additional optional service or community listening events are occasionally held – while voluntary, these will contribute bonus points toward attendance, including toward honors or honors with highest distinction metrics.

Track Certification

For certification of successful completion across three years, track Members:

• Attend the majority (>50%) of monthly track meetings each year, and,
• Lead one community health-focused event annually, for the benefit of our surrounding communities. These may include leading a monthly roundtable, community listening event,  service or advocacy events. Afterward, residents document this topic for posting after the event as a track curricular resource, and,
• Contribute three teaching pieces annually to complement the ambulatory curriculum.

Members interested in pursuing certification at the Honors level in the track successfully complete all of the required pieces above each year, PLUS:  achieve at least 70% attendance each year, demonstrating consistent engagement and leadership and mentorship within the track. (If attendance falls below 70%, attendance can be made up via attendance at additional service and listening events.)

Members interested in pursuing certification at the Honors with Highest Distinction level in the track successfully complete all of the above required pieces each year, demonstrating consistent engagement, leadership and mentorship within the track, PLUS:

Join the longitudinal Charter Oak Street Medicine program or Malta House Care for Uninsured  Program, or, in discussion in advance with track director:

Ally with a community partner consistently over the course of three years on a sustained community health-focused project complementing that organization’s mission, or,

Complete research or track curriculum on health-related topic in conjunction with community partners  or,

Demonstrate participation in community health-related policy and/or legislative advocacy.  (Other significant related accomplishments not listed here will also be considered).

Additional Information

For more information regarding the Community Health Alliance Track within UConn’s Internal Medicine Residency Program, please contact the Community Health Alliance Track Director, Kirsten Ek, M.D., at Ek@uchc.edu, or Track Chief, Dr. Alyssa Ahern, at aahern@uchc.edu.