Wallace Medical concern
Wallace has been Providing Compassionate Care Since 1984. It started with a single physician volunteering his time and carrying his medical supplies in a tackle box as he provided care to homeless patients in Portland. Those early actions taken by a selfless doctor named Jim Reuler sparked The Wallace Medical Concern.
Today, WMC is a Federally Qualified Health Center with multiple locations that provides primary care and urgent health care to patients in need, which are often low income or disabled patients. Services are provided at morning and evening clinics, as well as three-days-per-week on the Mobile Medical Clinic where patients can be seen and cared for by a physician right in their own neighborhood.
Key medical services currently offered by WMC include:
• Basic health care for all ages
• Well baby and well child visits/immunizations
• Urgent care several evenings a week
• Chronic disease management
• Dermatology, podiatry and chiropractic care
Today, WMC is a Federally Qualified Health Center with multiple locations that provides primary care and urgent health care to patients in need, which are often low income or disabled patients. Services are provided at morning and evening clinics, as well as three-days-per-week on the Mobile Medical Clinic where patients can be seen and cared for by a physician right in their own neighborhood.
Key medical services currently offered by WMC include:
• Basic health care for all ages
• Well baby and well child visits/immunizations
• Urgent care several evenings a week
• Chronic disease management
• Dermatology, podiatry and chiropractic care
What i do at wmc
With an ever evolving and changing diverse population for WMC's client base, it's imperative that patient's influence the way things are ran. I have been and will continue to collect over 250 surveys of patient feedback so that providers can see how they can improve everyone's experience at the clinic.
Upon arrival at the clinic patients are handed the optional survey. The surveys are 2 pages in length with the first page consisting of bubble in answers, ranking their experiences from 1 to 5, and the last page has short essay questions. Everything is completely confidential and patients include no information about themselves other than their demographic/ethnic information. After the patient fills out the form they are given an envelope to seal it in, and it is opened at a later time.
The surveys will be analyzed qualitatively and presented to the medical staff in late spring. This will then satisfy not only state and federal requirements of a funded agency to prove patient satisfaction but improve WMC for the better.
Wallace has a very wide range of clients seen so it is important to get feedback from as many patients as possible. This kind of communication in turn helps bridge the patient-provider barrier often seen in medicine. WMC feels strongly about serving the entire community in need as their social responsibility, and with the information provided by this feedback, through critical thinking, can encourage changes that can be implemented to better serve the community.
I have gained a lot of knowledge of community issues and needs from shadowing and working close with the providers and patients at Wallace. It has helped me fuel my own passions for being a change agent in medicine, where specifically my interests are in diverse populations and providing care that is thorough, respectful, and effective. I wouldn't have changed a thing in my experience at Wallace, and when I am applying to medical school next year I will keep in mind how WMC has shaped my views on medicine and it's purpose behind helping people in need.
Upon arrival at the clinic patients are handed the optional survey. The surveys are 2 pages in length with the first page consisting of bubble in answers, ranking their experiences from 1 to 5, and the last page has short essay questions. Everything is completely confidential and patients include no information about themselves other than their demographic/ethnic information. After the patient fills out the form they are given an envelope to seal it in, and it is opened at a later time.
The surveys will be analyzed qualitatively and presented to the medical staff in late spring. This will then satisfy not only state and federal requirements of a funded agency to prove patient satisfaction but improve WMC for the better.
Wallace has a very wide range of clients seen so it is important to get feedback from as many patients as possible. This kind of communication in turn helps bridge the patient-provider barrier often seen in medicine. WMC feels strongly about serving the entire community in need as their social responsibility, and with the information provided by this feedback, through critical thinking, can encourage changes that can be implemented to better serve the community.
I have gained a lot of knowledge of community issues and needs from shadowing and working close with the providers and patients at Wallace. It has helped me fuel my own passions for being a change agent in medicine, where specifically my interests are in diverse populations and providing care that is thorough, respectful, and effective. I wouldn't have changed a thing in my experience at Wallace, and when I am applying to medical school next year I will keep in mind how WMC has shaped my views on medicine and it's purpose behind helping people in need.