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News Release

September 8, 2008

Contact: Chris DeFrancesco, 860-679-3914
e-mail: cdefrancesco@uchc.edu

Community Health Fairs Emphasize Prevention

UConn Marks National Primary Care Week

FARMINGTON, CONN. – University of Connecticut medical, dental, nursing and pharmacy students are participating in community health fairs in Hartford and Willimantic as part of National Primary Care Week.

UConn is observing Primary Care Week Sept. 20-27. This year’s theme is “The Power of Prevention.”

Physician assistant students from Quinnipiac University and community clinicians also are taking part in the health fairs, which are scheduled from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 24.

Other UConn Primary Care Week events include:

  • A banquet at the Farmington Club, with a keynote speech by State Senate President Pro Tempore Donald E. Williams (D-Brooklyn), Monday, Sept. 22, at 6 p.m.
  • A Family Medicine Interest Group hands-on clinic Thursday, Sept. 25, at 6 p.m. at 99 Woodland St., Hartford.
  • “Lunch and Learn” sessions from noon to 1 p.m. on Sept. 22, 23, 25 and 26, simultaneously at the Health Center campus in Farmington and the Storrs Campus.

“These educational efforts provide needed exposure to future health care providers about the importance of primary care and about the altruism and caring that is part and parcel of the practice of medicine,” says Dr. Bruce E. Gould, associate dean for primary care at the UConn School of Medicine and director of the Connecticut Area Heath Education Center.

Primary Care Week is an observance in celebration of the contributions of primary care to community health. It aims to introduce health professions students to the importance of community-responsive primary care, encourage their collaboration as members of future primary health care teams, and work to reduce problems in healthcare access experienced by underserved populations in the United States.

Institutions throughout the country observe National Primary Care Week, with the dates varying by school. The national effort is a collaboration of the Area Health Education Centers, the American Medical Student Association, and the Health Resources and Services Administration in Washington.

At the Sept. 24 community health fairs, students will provide free blood pressure and blood glucose screenings as well as preventive health education materials at the following locations:

  • Charter Oak Health Center, 21 Grand Street, Hartford.
  • El Gitanto, 15 Lafayette St., Hartford.
  • C-Town Supermarket, 394 New Britain Ave., Hartford.
  • CTWorks, 3580 Main St., Hartford.
  • Hispanic Senior Center, 45 Wadsworth Street, Hartford.
  • South End Senior Wellness Center, 830 Maple Ave., Hartford.
  • North End Senior Center, 80 Coventry St., Hartford.
  • Department of Motor Vehicles, 60 State St., Wethersfield.
  • Stop & Shop, 1391 Main St., Willimantic.
  • McSweeney Senior Center, 47 Crescent St., Willimantic.

Note: a copy of the NPCW flier distributed to students is available at http://www.uchc.edu/events/npcw08.pdf.

UConn Health includes the schools of medicine and dental medicine, the UConn Medical Group, University Dentists, and John Dempsey Hospital. Home to Bioscience Connecticut, UConn Health pursues a mission of providing outstanding health care education in an environment of exemplary patient care, research and public service. More information about UConn Health is available at www.uchc.edu.

Note: News professionals are invited to visit the UConn Health Today news page (http://today.uchc.edu) for regularly updated news and feature stories, photos and media stories. News releases are archived at http://today.uchc.edu/newsreleases/2014. UConn Health news and information is also available on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.