WASHINGTON, D.C., November 5, 2005 - The Medical College of Wisconsin and the University of California, Davis, Health System have both received the Outstanding Community Service Award from the AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges), in recognition of their longstanding commitment to serving the healthcare needs of their local communities. This is only the second time in the award's 12-year history that the AAMC has selected two institutions to receive this national honor in the same year.

The Outstanding Community Service Award recognizes institutions with exceptional community service programs that go beyond the traditional role of academic medicine to reach communities whose needs are not met by the health care delivery system. Both of the institutions honored this year are addressing the needs of underserved citizens in their communities and beyond: in downtown Milwaukee and rural Wisconsin, and in inner-city Sacramento and rural northern California.

Medical College of Wisconsin

The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) has implemented a partnership model for community service that focuses on "working with" their communities to improve health, rather than "doing for" them. Through the medical school and affiliated institutions, MCW is involved in numerous public and community health initiatives and, along with more than 100 partners, is transforming health care for urban, rural, and ethnically diverse communities in Milwaukee and statewide.

Among the school's community service activities are:

"Partners for Progress" - A seven-year partnership among MCW, the local housing authority, Froedtert hospital and other civic groups, established 21 collaborative programs designed to improve the quality of life for Milwaukee public housing residents.

"Fight Asthma Milwaukee Allies" - MCW teamed up with this group to form a coalition of pediatrics faculty and other health professionals, community leaders, government officials, and families to improve the quality of life for high-risk children with asthma.

"Saturday Clinic for the Uninsured" - Founded almost 15 years ago by MCW medical students, this clinic provides ongoing, free, primary care services to uninsured residents of Milwaukee. Students manage the clinic's operation and provide supervised patient care and health education to more than 900 patients annually.

"Marion Area Coalition for Healthy Communities" - In Marion, one of east-central Wisconsin's most rural areas, MCW is working with schools, churches, civic groups, health care providers, and local government to address community-identified problems related to multi-generational substance abuse.

"Community Pediatric Training Initiative" - Through this program pediatric residents are introduced to public policy and advocacy work; participants in this program last year successfully lobbied the governor to obtain coverage for an important pediatric dental treatment under Medicaid and the state children's health insurance program.

University of California, Davis, Health System

For more than 30 years, the University of California, Davis, Health System (UCDHS) has provided primary and specialty care to underserved patients in its geographically vast and culturally diverse community. Six million residents live within this 33 county area (a region larger than the state of Pennsylvania). UCDHS's community service and outreach programs have directly benefited almost one million of these residents.

Among the system's community service activities are:

"Center for Health and Technology" - This program provides telemedicine access to more than 80 clinic and hospital sites, enabling UCDHS to offer quality care to the rural northern California community.

"Communities and Physicians Together" - Faculty members and other physicians work with disadvantaged neighborhoods to meet the wellness needs of children, while teaching resident physicians how to be effective child advocates.

"Student-Run Free Clinics" - UCDHS organizes five student-run, free clinics where medically underserved populations can receive culturally sensitive and compassionate clinical care.

"Staff Offering Services" - This program leverages the resources and expertise of UCDHS staff to facilitate donations from almost 400 employees of more than 1,350 hours of volunteer time at 20 different community events annually.

"St. Hope Academy" - UCDHS has made a $500,000 commitment to sponsor a health curriculum track at this newly chartered high school where low-income minority students are exposed to "real-world" experiences in health care. Physicians, nurses and medical students serve as mentors to St. Hope Academy students. Many of these students also serve as "interns" in the UCDHS Medical Interpreting Program, which offers translation services in more than 20 languages.

Medical schools and teaching hospitals provide health care resources to the more than 70 million uninsured and underinsured Americans. For more information about the role medical schools and teaching hospitals play in caring for the uninsured, visit www.aamc.org/uninsured.

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The Association of American Medical Colleges is a not-for-profit association representing all 129 accredited U.S. and 17 accredited Canadian medical schools; nearly 400 major teaching hospitals and health systems, including 68 Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers; and 94 academic and scientific societies. Through these institutions and organizations, the AAMC represents 109,000 faculty members, 67,000 medical students, and 104,000 resident physicians. Additional information about the AAMC and U.S. medical schools and teaching hospitals is available at www.aamc.org/newsroom.

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