Programs Focused on Real-World Healthcare Solutions
Advocacy and programs are the backbone of H-STAT. These initiatives may vary year-to-year based on the priorities of the board. Check out below what we have going on and how you can get involved!
Healthcare Access
41 states and Washington, D.C. have expanded Medicaid coverage to adults with incomes up to 138% of the federal poverty level. Unfortunately, Georgia is not one of them. Its failure to expand Medicaid has left over 1.4 million Georgians uninsured, meaning that 13% of the state's population does not have adequate access to basic medical care.
Expanding access to health insurance would lower the cost of healthcare and dramatically improve the quality and length of life for so many Georgians. H-STAT has been committed to this fight for over a decade, and we will not stop until healthcare is accessible and affordable for everyone.
Street Medicine
One of H-STAT's older programs, Street Medicine has allowed students to care for individuals experiencing homelessness in Atlanta for years.
Mercy Care is a federally qualified health center and Atlanta’s only healthcare for the homeless program (330h). Through our partnership with Mercy Care, third- and fourth-year medical students have the opportunity to work alongside medical providers, nurses, and outreach specialists to provide both physical and behavioral healthcare directly to people living on the street. Most often, student volunteers are tasked with performing a thorough history and physical and recording patient notes throughout the evening. This hands-on experience teaches valuable skills like motivational interviewing, patient care, and medical documentation while making a tangible impact in the community.
Covenant House is a youth homeless shelter that provides food, shelter, and other services for youth aged 16-25 years. Each year, approximately 30% of the young women Covenant House serves in the residential program are either pregnant or have a child not currently in their care due to the lack of housing options available to them. Through our partnership with Covenant House, student volunteers have the opportunity to participate in Pregnant and Parenting classes, which consists of health education sessions on topics that are relevant to them, like maternal and pediatric care. Sessions are held monthly on-site at either the Covenant House main campus or the Pregnant and Parenting building.
Legislative Training
Health professions students must understand the intersection between laws, medical practice, and public health, but not all curricula emphasize it. Even fewer give students the opportunity to get involved themselves and see how they can use their unique voice and training to make a difference. That's why H-STAT leads interested students on an annual trip to the Georgia State Capitol during the legislative session. There, attendees first meet with legislators that support H-STAT, and they have the opportunity to ask questions and hear directly from our state senators and representatives about issues in which they are invested. Then, attendees make their way to the floor, where they can see legislation in action and have even had the chance to advocate on behalf of bills that they support!
Voting Rights
Voting is the ultimate form of advocacy in a democratic system and has been recognized as an important determinant of health by many professional associations. At the same time, there are many barriers to voting in Georgia that prevent particularly marginalized communities from making their voices heard. Additionally, physicians and medical trainees have historically voted at lower rates than the general population, even though they must abide by and see the effects of public policy every day in their work. H-STAT believes that it is critical to advocate for the right to vote on behalf of both our patients and our fellow health professionals, who may have challenges casting their ballots.
We organized a number of get-out-the-vote efforts throughout 2024 in preparation for the November 2024 election, partnering with trainees and faculty at our academic medical centers as well as other non-profit organizations with experience in community organizing, such as Vot-ER. These events were focused on getting patients and community members registered to vote. Other efforts were concentrated on the campuses of professional schools around the state and were designed to encourage our fellow medical trainees to register to vote. We even had a phone banking session to reach people virtually. In all, H-STAT members and our partners were able to talk to 500+ individuals about the importance of registering to vote and helped many of them understand the registration process.
We aim to continue this initiative in 2025 and beyond, as we seek to improve the ways that we include the least heard voices in the electoral process!
Student Taskforce on ACEs and Resilience (STAR)
Student Taskforce on ACEs and Resilience (STAR) unites students from various disciplines and universities to address the long-term health impacts of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Research shows that ACEs – ranging from domestic violence to systemic racism – can lead to toxic stress, affecting health outcomes across a person's lifetime. STAR works to advance the widespread adoption of trauma-informed practices and policies to support resilient communities.
STAR carries out this mission through advocacy, education, and research. Regarding advocacy, they create opportunities to engage with programs that raise awareness about ACEs and directly serve communities affected by childhood adversity. Regarding education, they have been successful at integrating trauma-informed education into the curricula of multiple higher educational institutions. Regarding research, they hold an annual conference attended by over 100 stakeholders to share recent findings in the field and organize around the promotion of trauma-informed care.
Cut Hypertension
Dr. Kenji Taylor started Cut Hypertension in Philadelphia, PA, when he was a medical student at the University of Pennsylvania in 2010. During a year as a fellow at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2014, however, Dr. Taylor brought his vision to Atlanta and started a Cut Hypertension Chapter with H-STAT.
In short, Black Americans have significantly higher rates of cardiovascular disease than their non-Hispanic White counterparts, but they are much less likely to receive treatment for their conditions. That's why Black Americans are more than 30 percent more likely to die from heart disease than non-Hispanic Whites. Cut Hypertension seeks to eliminate those cardiovascular disparities by engaging barbers and cosmetologists as health leaders in their barbershops, salons, and community.
Through the program, H-STAT volunteers go to a partnering Black barbershop, bring equipment to measure blood pressure and blood sugar, and encourage patrons to take advantage of their health screening while performing health education and referrals as needed. At the same time, barbers and cosmetologists are trained to do the same screening and health education so that they can become sustainable health promoters in their community.
We are currently partnering with Rocky’s Barbershop, Cut Doctor Barbershop, and Groomzmen, and we are looking for more places to go!
Make a Difference
Ready to make a difference? Reach out today to learn more about how you can get involved in our programs and initiatives. Together, we can create lasting change in our communities.
In 2023, we conducted a survey of 243 medical trainees in the state. Many respondents see a grim outlook on the state’s healthcare system. 81% of respondents felt that most Georgians do not have access to quality healthcare. 80% agreed that Georgia’s uninsured rate, which ranks third highest in the U.S., contributes to physician burnout, and half said that it causes burnout to them on a personal level. Nearly a third reported that they would be less likely to practice medicine in Georgia because of the limited access to health insurance. We shared these and other findings in an editorial in the Atlanta Journal Constitution and have spoken with our legislators about how we can use this momentum to make lasting reforms.
In 2024, we received a grant from the American Lung Association to tell stories of people who are uninsured in Georgia and have had a difficult time accessing medical care for their lung diseases, with potentially devastating results.