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Our mission is threefold:
- To address community health issues by delivering cost-effective primary care to communities in need;
- To further the clinical competency of Frontera volunteers by providing settings in which to perfect their burgeoning skills; and
- To encourage students to reflect on the profession of healthcare as a moral practice. While the project is aimed at aiding those in need, it recognizes that aid to be a statement of the humanistic ideal of healthcare.
Frequently Asked Questions
Medical, nursing, and allied health students
How do I get involved?
Contact your UTMB or UTHSCSA chapter director to find out current information regarding outreach trips, and educational training sessions.
UTMB Co-directors --
Jennifer Barnhill, jfbarnhi@utmb.edu
Melanie Fields, mefields@utmb.edu
UTHSCSA --
Joseph Kim, Corpus Christi; Kimj7@uthscsa.edu
Jessica Vernon, Corpus Christi; Vernon@uthscsa.edu
Tina Oak, Laredo; Oak@uthscsa.edu
Joseph Peters, Laredo; Petersf@uthscsa.edu
Linda Pham, Grants/Finances/Web contact PhamL2@uthscsa.edu
What do students do?
Students are vital to the function of this organization. They serve as examiners, translators, educators, and advisors.
Do we need experience?
No. These trips are designed not only to help those in need in the community, but it also provides a chance for upper level students to utilize their education and training to education those students who have not had the exposure or training.
Do we need to speak Spanish? No. Although the majority of these patients only speak Spanish, there are bilingual students who help with translation. There is always someone around with Spanish language ability.
Do we need to find our own transportation?
No. The trip to Brownsville is approximately 7-8 hours and transportation is provided. Some students elect to drive on their own and meet us there.
Do we provided our own housing?
No. Housing is graciously provided though the Area Health Education Council. Some students elect to stay with family or stay on their own.
How long is the trip and how often are they?
These are weekend trips, leaving Friday at approximately 5pm and returning on Sunday between 9 and 10pm. Usually the trips are scheduled every 6 to 8 weeks.
TOPFriday:
Depart from Galveston at 5pm. Arrive in Brownsville at approximately midnight.
Saturday:
In the morning we divide into 5-7 groups of 2 to 3 students each to perform well-woman exams at the Brownsville Community Health Center. The teams are composed according to experience and language ability. In the afternoon we visit pre-determined families in Cameron Park at their homes to assess medical, social, and environmental welfare. Afterwards we meet for an educational session with the Promadoras de Salud (community health educators). Saturday evenings are free for socializing.
Sunday:
We perform health screenings for the "Colonia" between Masses at a community church. During these screenings we focus on diabetes, hypertension, and depression. All patients needing follow-up are referred to the Brownsville Community Health Center by a BCHC representative who is in attendance during the screenings or to our new Frontera Clinic in Cameron Park. We depart for Galveston by 1pm.
Upcoming Trips:
UTMB
UTHSC-SA
To co-ordinate and support the student and primary care medical residents' health care and education activities, Frontera has established an administrative center housed in the Institute for the Medical Humanities (IMH) at UTMB. The IMH, established in 1973, is the nation's premier graduate-level medical humanities education institution and is especially suited to the task of housing Frontera as both work to promote the core values and humane ideal of health care.
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