Louisville Medicine Volume 70, Issue 6 | Page 8

CALLED TO SERVE

Doctors for Healthy Communities : Making A Difference for Kentuckians of All Ages

Supporting a soccer team with supplies and soccer kits at Newcomer Academy School in JCPS .
Delivering nonperishable food and supplies to Camp Taylor Elementary School in Jefferson County .
by MUHAMMAD BABAR , MD AND WAQAR SALEEM , MD

Nationwide , Kentucky r a n k s poorly for health outcomes and num e r o u s social determinants of health . The state has widely prevalent poverty which correlates with adverse health outcomes , chronic medical problems , obesity , smoking and various other issues . Our public school system does an amazing job with the resources available , but still many students throughout Kentucky lack access to basic needs . There are thousands of students throughout the Commonwealth who could be lifted by positive outreach and the collaborative efforts of fellow Kentuckians .

Despite being the richest country in the world , the U . S . lags behind so many other western countries in health care related outcomes . Data from our public schools shows that a significant number of students do not get necessary physicals , immunizations or dental and vision examinations due to these barriers . We were born in Pakistan , a developing country with a fragmented health care system . We both had near-sightedness eye disorder ( myopia ) that was picked up by observant teachers and family members due to reading difficulties in our early years . Vision screenings were not routine in Pakistan , but a quick visit to an optician fixed the issue , allowing us to read and learn . Unfortunately , similar stories happen in our local schools every day , and a lack of prescription
glasses can very well be the reason for poor school performance . This and many other examples are a convincing argument to persuade medical professionals to coordinate and collaborate to improve health care for all .
That is why , in 2017 , we founded Doctors for Healthy Communities ( DHC ), a 501 ( c )( 3 ) nonprofit with a goal to reach public schools and fill in the much-needed gaps in student well-being . The mission of DHC is to support students , their families and teachers in whatever way needed , which is achieved in several ways .
For example , each year DHC providers and volunteers take part in sports physicals across Jefferson County to ensure student athletes are given a proper checkup before competition begins . In the summer of 2022 , DHC volunteers helped Jefferson County Public Schools ( JCPS ) health care staff perform sports physicals across six schools in the district . In previous years , our emphasis was to provide school and sports physicals for children without a medical home or with barriers to receiving health care .
During these examinations , children may be identified with vision or dental problems , chronic medical issues like obesity , food insecurity or psychiatric issues . They are then referred to an appropriate provider by the school ’ s health care staff . During the pandemic when schooling was virtual , JCPS partnered with Humana and started the JCPS 360 Student and Family Support Center to provide various services . DHC volunteers were available at the Humana Building for any children requiring sports or school physicals .
It has been established that there are several communities in Greater Jefferson County that unfortunately classify as food deserts ,
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