Learning on the Front Lines of Health Disparities
The Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine partners with many different sites where students perform their required Community Medicine Rotations, including Federally Qualified Health Centers, free clinics, street medicine providers, and the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles. Here, students engage with different types of medicine and different patient populations than those they see in their more traditional Longitudinal Integrated Clerkships at Kaiser Permanente medical centers.
The program also offers opportunities for related learning, such as ¡KPasa!, an 8-week Spanish language immersion course for those who opt to serve in clinics with primarily Spanish-speaking patients. These rotations afford students and the school itself a meaningful way to give back to the community and create potential pathways to future careers in community-based care.
Community Partners
Students work with the following partner organizations. Our intentional mix of traditional and non-traditional clinical training and experiences helps expand students’ understanding of community needs and community-led solutions to advance health equity.
JWCH Center for Community Health
Los Angeles, California
Downey, California
ParkTree Community Health Center
Ontario, California
South Bay Family Health Care/Venice Family Clinic
Los Angeles, California
Valley Community Healthcare
North Hollywood, California
Free Clinic of Simi Valley
Simi Valley, California
Healthcare in Action
Seal Beach, California
Lestonnac Free Clinic
Orange, California
Northeast Valley Health Corporation
San Fernando, California
Twin Towers Correctional Facility
Los Angeles, California
¡KPasa! Medical Spanish Immersion Course
For students who choose to serve in clinics with primarily Spanish-speaking patients, KPSOM has partnered with Kaiser Permanente to offer the ¡KPasa! medical Spanish immersion course. This 4-week elective and the 4-week Community Medicine selective are combined to create an 8-week classroom and clinic experience.
The ¡KPasa! class is for students with a low intermediate level of Spanish fluency. Students learn simplified grammar and the vocabulary required to progress through all stages of a typical clinical encounter with a patient.