The Emory PA Program is proud of its history of community involvement and collaboration.

As noted elsewhere, our collaborative service-learning project with south Georgia partners, the South Georgia Farmworker Health Project, has become an important component of our Program. Typically 35-40 senior PA students work with faculty and physicians, providing free care to 1300-1700 farmworkers and family members in south Georgia over twelve days of makeshift clinics in June. In 2003, the Program was recognized as a finalist for the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Partnership Award for Campus-Community Collaboration. 

Our efforts in south Georgia would not have been possible without the assistance of many partners. We greatly appreciate the organizations, individuals, and companies that have joined us in providing care to this underserved population. Please take a moment to view the list of some of our partners.

Our efforts in south Georgia led us to consider how we could develop a service-learning opportunity in metro Atlanta. In 2001, the Emory PA Program received a student-authored grant from the PA Foundation to aid in establishing a student-run free clinic in Atlanta’s underserved communities. This vision, sparked by the Class of 2003, was to provide accessible and quality health care to the medically underserved and, at the same time, valuable and meaningful learning experiences for PA students, medical students, and all who volunteer. Initially, the PA Program hoped to work with Physician faculty and a community partner to open a part-time free clinic in the north DeKalb county region. However, over the past two years, our planning and conversations with community leaders and organizations led us to the conclusion that our resources could be best utilized working with an organization already providing care to the underserved.

The Good Samaritan Health Center (GSHC) was founded in 1998 by Dr. Bill Warren, a pediatrician who envisioned a faith-based clinic that would provide quality medical care to Atlanta’s uninsured / underinsured populations. The clinic is located at 239 Alexander Street N.W., near Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta and provides an extensive array of services, including medical, dental, social, health education, and counseling. A diverse group of patients access the GSHC, consisting of recent immigrants, the working poor, the homeless, and destitute. Although the clinic operates on a sliding fee scale model, only 20% of its expenses are paid through patient fees; and if a patient cannot pay, they are still provided care. Up to 80% of its operating expenses are through private donations and volunteer work by physicians, PAs, NPs, dentists, and other volunteers. Follow this link to watch a short video about the Good Samaritan Health Center (this requires the free Real Player and a high speed connection).

To read a recent article about Good Samaritan, including a discussion of Emory's involvement, please follow this link.

The GSHC’s accessible, quality medical care has led to growing popularity and an increasing demand for its services. In 1999, the clinic provided care for 6,682 patients. In 2002, GSHC had served 14,461 patients; this increased to a total of 17,000 patient visits by the end of 2003. Due to demands for clinic appointments exceeding their capacity, collaboration with the Emory PA program was seen as a viable way to provide an extended-hours clinic on Saturdays, and to provide students with opportunities to learn medicine, cultural sensitivity, and social responsibility. These Saturday sessions will be staffed by a variety of volunteers, and students will see patients under the supervision of physicians.

The Saturday clinic opened its doors in July 2004.  If you would like more information, or to participate, please contact Tom Himelick, Director of Community Projects, at the Emory PA Program at 404-727-1360 or at web@emorypa.org.  You can also download and print a brochure (Adobe PDF format) about this collaborative project.

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