Local Partnerships Bring Global Health Directly to Campus
Posted on Feb 5, 2009 by Ashley Hagaman
While our Chapters are working hard in developing countries around the world, several of them are also working closely with local organizations to impact the health of their immediate community.
GlobeMed at the University of Michigan pioneered GlobeMed's first local partnership with the Joy Southfield Health and Education Center, a clinic for the uninsured in Detroit. Students work closely with doctors and nurses at the clinic to design, promote, and produce health education classes. To date, students have successfully held more than 12 classes in the past year and increased attendance from 3 attendees to over 30 per class. "its one of the best parts of our chapter at UofM. We have so many health disparities right in our backyard, so its really powerful for us to be able to make a tangible difference so often." says GlobeMed Co-President Katie Schmidt about their bi-monthly trips down to the clinic in Detroit.
Since GlobeMed at UofM's local partnership, several other chapters have found opportunities to do the same in their community. GlobeMed at Northwestern students are currently working with BEHIV of Chicago (Better Existence with HIV) to inform the public about the virus and risk reduction behavior, and to increase understanding and compassion for people with HIV and AIDS. GlobeMed student volunteers have been working at the BEHIV offices and going through training programs to become more educated about HIV/AIDS. This valuable volunteer work will hopefully lead to increasingly meaningful and engaging projects for GlobeMed at Northwestern. Also, GlobeMed at Northwestern's experience with BEHIV in Chicago directly ties into their efforts to establish an HIV Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) in Ghana, the location the group's international partner. Northwestern's partnership with BEHIV will allow the students to make valuable cross-cultural comparisons between the treatment of HIV in Chicago and in Ghana.
In October of 2007, GlobeMed at University of Southern California made an incredible partnership with AIDSail, a non-profit which aims to reduce HIV/AIDS in women and children in rural coastal communities in Latin America and the Caribbean. AIDSail engages rural women to develop their own voice in responding to the increased risk of HIV infection in their lives, and works with the community to develop a response to HIV/AIDS that is sensitive to women and the communities in which they live. AIDSail houses their offices in the Sunrise Community Counseling Center (SCCC) in LA, just two miles away from USC's campus. SCCC works with several uninsured residents in the LA area with a special interest in reducing youth gang recruitment and involvement. GlobeMed students immediately jumped at the opportunity to be involved both in the Caribbean and LA. Their local partnership helps strengthen the center's gang reduction strategy. The students have a large role with the Center's PLAY (Progressive LA Youth) program where they will work with underserved kids and teenagers at high-risk for gang involvement in the Los Angeles area twice a month. GlobeMed students serve as mentors while also being advocates for the Center's nutrition initiative to instill healthier youth habits in LA.
Local partnerships between GlobeMed Chapters and a grassroots, community driven, organization in their city are powerful experiences that enlighten students and their peers about the devastating disparities only miles away from home. It's no news that poverty and poor health transcends national borders, race, and religion. GlobeMed students recognize the immediate impact they can have both in the international community and right at home. Please visit the Chapter's website pages for more information on their local partner.
While our Chapters are working hard in developing countries around the world, several of them are also working closely with local organizations to impact the health of their immediate community.
GlobeMed at the University of Michigan pioneered GlobeMed's first local partnership with the Joy Southfield Health and Education Center, a clinic for the uninsured in Detroit. Students work closely with doctors and nurses at the clinic to design, promote, and produce health education classes. To date, students have successfully held more than 12 classes in the past year and increased attendance from 3 attendees to over 30 per class. "its one of the best parts of our chapter at UofM. We have so many health disparities right in our backyard, so its really powerful for us to be able to make a tangible difference so often." says GlobeMed Co-President Katie Schmidt about their bi-monthly trips down to the clinic in Detroit.
Since GlobeMed at UofM's local partnership, several other chapters have found opportunities to do the same in their community. GlobeMed at Northwestern students are currently working with BEHIV of Chicago (Better Existence with HIV) to inform the public about the virus and risk reduction behavior, and to increase understanding and compassion for people with HIV and AIDS. GlobeMed student volunteers have been working at the BEHIV offices and going through training programs to become more educated about HIV/AIDS. This valuable volunteer work will hopefully lead to increasingly meaningful and engaging projects for GlobeMed at Northwestern. Also, GlobeMed at Northwestern's experience with BEHIV in Chicago directly ties into their efforts to establish an HIV Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) in Ghana, the location the group's international partner. Northwestern's partnership with BEHIV will allow the students to make valuable cross-cultural comparisons between the treatment of HIV in Chicago and in Ghana.
In October of 2007, GlobeMed at University of Southern California made an incredible partnership with AIDSail, a non-profit which aims to reduce HIV/AIDS in women and children in rural coastal communities in Latin America and the Caribbean. AIDSail engages rural women to develop their own voice in responding to the increased risk of HIV infection in their lives, and works with the community to develop a response to HIV/AIDS that is sensitive to women and the communities in which they live. AIDSail houses their offices in the Sunrise Community Counseling Center (SCCC) in LA, just two miles away from USC's campus. SCCC works with several uninsured residents in the LA area with a special interest in reducing youth gang recruitment and involvement. GlobeMed students immediately jumped at the opportunity to be involved both in the Caribbean and LA. Their local partnership helps strengthen the center's gang reduction strategy. The students have a large role with the Center's PLAY (Progressive LA Youth) program where they will work with underserved kids and teenagers at high-risk for gang involvement in the Los Angeles area twice a month. GlobeMed students serve as mentors while also being advocates for the Center's nutrition initiative to instill healthier youth habits in LA.
Local partnerships between GlobeMed Chapters and a grassroots, community driven, organization in their city are powerful experiences that enlighten students and their peers about the devastating disparities only miles away from home. It's no news that poverty and poor health transcends national borders, race, and religion. GlobeMed students recognize the immediate impact they can have both in the international community and right at home. Please visit the Chapter's website pages for more information on their local partner.
