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Caring for Community at Home and Abroadby Kimberlee Norton
A survey conducted by the College's International Activities Committee in early 2008 demonstrates the extent to which many BCM faculty, staff and trainees are involved in community outreach and how broadly they define "community." While more than half of the 166 respondents are involved in domestic outreach, more than one quarter are involved in both domestic and international efforts. "BCM's international programs have been built on what we've been doing for a long time with the local community," said Claire Bassett, Vice President of Public Affairs and Governmental and Health Relations at BCM. "We've just taken our programs to a more global level." One underlying factor of BCM's success in the community is collaboration with local governments and organizations where the College and its volunteers are active. Without local guidance and knowledge of what an individual area needs, BCM volunteers would be unsuccessful. In fact, almost 70 percent of respondents partner with other organizations or governments in their projects. 
BCM provided medical staff for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer Bassett said that a good example of a successful BCM-sponsored program that collaborates with local government is the Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative. The Centers of Excellence where children and their families receive state-of-the-art AIDS treatment and care are in part successful because of the relationship BIPAI leaders have built with the local governments of Malawi, Lesotho, Burkina Faso, Romania, Uganda, Tanzania, Botswana, Kenya and Swaziland. Other outreach efforts include programs like Healthcare for the Homeless and the Star of Hope Mission, educational and clinical programs in Colombia, clinics in Mexico, cancer screening and treatment programs in Nicaragua, medical missions to Egypt, and pediatric care in the Philippines. Proving that charity does not always have to occur far way, members of the BCM family run, walk, golf and cycle in events all year long, including the Tour de Pink that provides breast cancer screening and education in the Houston area, the annual MS 150 bike ride from Houston to Austin and for the first time in 2008, the Avon Walk in Houston. BCM staff provided all of the medical care for the first annual Houston walk that benefited breast cancer research. Baylor humanitarians knit baby blankets for the March of Dimes, travel the world doing medical mission work with Faith in Practice and support medical clinics for underserved populations in the Middle East. Some BCM faculty and staff donate several Saturday mornings a month with their families to work at a health clinic that provides health care to people who are unable to get services at the Harris County Hospital District because they are not in the country legally. 
Dr. David Buck works with the homeless people of Houston. Other BCM employees help patients who have lost an eye by providing resources to educate them on the care of their prosthesis and counseling them in time of emotional need. For 12 years, one BCM employee has coordinated monthly support group meetings for Spanish-speaking parents raising a child with a disability. Twice a year, BCM students travel to Santa Ana, Honduras, with the Baylor Shoulder to Shoulder program to provide medical care to the underserved. The rural health project is even building the town its own medical care facility. Going above and beyond, one Baylor faculty member founded Dia de la Mujer, a project focusing on preventive health, which is now in 23 cities across the country. It consists of breast and cervical cancer screening, diabetes and cholesterol screening, HIV and TB tests, mental health and patient navigation. The Pink 4 Life Program, another project supported by BCM employees, provides assistance to medically under- or uninsured women who are undergoing treatment for breast cancer. Funds are used to offset the costs of rehabilitation of women with physically and psychologically debilitating problems after breast cancer. Almost every corner in Houston has been touched by the generous spirit of BCM's employees and students. The homeless eating breakfast at The Lord of the Streets Episcopal Mission have benefited from one BCM employee's generous spirit for 15 years. The Trauma and Grief Program, another beneficiary of BCM's generosity, provides education and counseling options for those who have lost a loved one to homicide or suicide. 
BCM students provide medical care in Honduras through the Shoulder-to-Shoulder program. Young minds in Houston benefit from Discovery Lab, an educational outreach project in which BCM students teach science to kindergarten through 12th grade students. BRAIN lab is a drug education and prevention workshop for 7 through 12th grade students that looks at the human brain and how drugs hijack them. BCM advocates travel to Washington, D.C., to speak to Congress about the need for more research funding on behalf of their organizations, including the Alliance for Lupus Research. Those who can't travel to Washington found ways to give back without leaving home. They host dinners for the International Institute of Education, a branch of the U.S. Department of State that hosts delegations of foreigners who visit to learn about specific aspects of the U.S., including the Texas Medical Center, advances in medical technology and the health care system. Community outreach can mean helping the neighbor down the street, the homeless on the street and children with a devastating disease halfway around the world. Whatever the definition, there's a BCM faculty member, student, employee or associate filling that role. |
FeaturesTreatments on the Horizon: Chapter and Verse on a Brain Killer Two Brains are Better than One SpotlightCaring for Community at Home and Abroad Injecting a Little Scientist in Every Doctor Designing a Building in the Eyes of a Researcher Laser Treatments Best Left up to Doctors BriefsFalls in Elderly Indicate Illness Findings may Increase Survival after Injuries Some Like it Hot! Structure of Receptor for Chili Pepper and Pain Revealed Beware of Drinking Margaritas in the Sun Development/AlumniBCM Family Participates in Fundraising Campaign BCM Alums take D.C. Fellowships Seed Funding Leads to Breakthroughs Father, Daughter Team up for Health Care
Steps to Discovery and Innovation
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Volume 4, Issue 2, Summer 2008 |
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| Last modified: October 7, 2008 |
Baylor College of Medicine's long standing commitment to community service-—one of its four mission areas—extends well past Loop 610, the Texas Hill Country and the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.