The Community Service Award recognizes a KCMS member physician, practice or facility that has served in community leadership or made a significant contribution to the community.
JayDoc students accept the award from KCMS President Mark Brady, MD, front row second from left.
JayDoc Free Clinic was started in 2003 by students at the University of Kansas School of Medicine as a way to provide care to low-income, underserved people. It is managed and staffed by medical students with the help of supervising volunteer physicians. Located in Kansas City, Kan., JayDoc is open three nights a week starting at 5 p.m. On Mondays and Wednesdays, primary care is provided on a walk-in basis, triaged according to need. Tuesdays are devoted to specialty care which is delivered by appointment only. The clinic uses the Sharon Lee Family Health Care facility on Southwest Boulevard at Rainbow Road.
Medical students see patients first to obtain a history, perform a physical and develop a treatment plan. A supervising physician, also a volunteer, signs off on the treatment plan. In addition, there are three co-executive directors, each of whom manages the clinic one night a week. Undergraduate student volunteers, mostly pre-med, work at the front desk and help patients fill out intake forms. A social service unit helps link patient with additional community resources. Clinical laboratory science students operate a point-of-care lab during clinic hours.
In 2018, JayDoc served 1,193 patient encounters. About 140 medical student volunteers work at the clinic each year, along with approximately 65 volunteer supervising physicians. JayDoc serves patients from all over Kansas City, but most are from Wyandotte County. Around half are Hispanic and their primary language is Spanish.
“JayDoc not only acts as a pillar of safety net care in the Kansas City area, but also helps provide the next generation of doctors with unique experiences that will forever shape their medical careers,” said Allen Greiner, MD, MPH, faculty advisor to JayDoc, and family medicine research director and professor at the University of Kansas Medical Center.