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Community Connections enhance experiences The following article describes one of many poster presentations set for this year's faculty convocation Aug. 21. This year’s theme is “Creating Collaboration” and will highlight various clinical, research and educational projects undertaken as a group effort. by Cindy Abole Public Relations Creating valuable learning opportunities for health professions students to interact with a variety of community groups throughout the  surrounding areas was the goal of Community Connections: Partners for Learning and Service.   The program, developed and supported by a team within the College of Health Professions’ Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, focused on establishing broad-based learning experiences involving rehabilitation sciences students and faculty members partnering with community groups and organizations. Each experience helped students identify with potential practitioner roles, work with role models, and engage in community-based practice activities, especially those within medically underserved areas.   “Direct experience exposes students to community-based practice,” said Maralynne D. Mitcham, Ph.D., professor and director of the Occupational Therapy Educational Program and Community Connections principal investigator. “We clearly feel it is an area that’s been recognized as a successful, emerging trend among health professions education programs.”   The grant program was funded in 2002 by the Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA) to develop interdisciplinary training opportunities for occupational therapy (OT), physical therapy (PT) and speech-language pathology (SLP) students to work closely with community partners at sites around the Tricounty area to improve the delivery of needed services.   Program organizers partnered with Lowcountry Area Health Education Consortium (AHEC), schools, support groups, faith-based organizations and service agencies to create active projects reaching 12 counties. So far, the program has coordinated with 27 community organizations to manage several hundred community-based learning experiences for students within Charleston, Berkeley, Dorchester, Colleton, Hampton, Jasper, Beaufort, Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Orangeburg and Calhoun counties.   Community Connections has developed a variety of model programs and benefitted from consultation and guidance from Community-Campus Partnerships for Health and other resources to develop strategies for coalition building. Projects were expanded from established faculty contacts with community organizations and new projects initiated with Lowcountry AHEC and other resources.   The programs offered different experiences; for example, one-time screenings for prevention of falls, health promotion seminars, and worksite evaluations, or short-term experiences with summer camp programs such as Camp Hand-to-Hands (OT/PT students) and Camp Communication Vacation (SLP students), and longer term experiences with support groups. Notable Community Connections collaborations include: Debbie Brown, assistant professor (PT program), who worked with an orthopaedics surgery practice and contributed PT expertise with screenings for high school athletes; Lisa Saladin, associate professor (PT program), who continues to work with the Multiple Sclerosis Support Group of Summerville; and Jerry Burik, assistant professor (OT), who collaborates with HASCI and provides brain injury prevention education for school-aged children.   In 2005, the grant was funded again for three more years, a $600,000-plus award, only to lose subsequent funding in 2006 when several HRSA programs sustained major budget cuts due to a loss of federal funding. Fortunately, the community-based activities live on as Mitcham and grant collaborators ensured that project requirements were embedded directly into existing course objectives.   “It’s a pleasure to talk about a successful model,” Mitcham said. “We’ve done it and were able to accomplish it. We have lots of experience to offer other groups on campus considering similar initiatives. With the campus’ interest in interprofessional education, I see a new platform for connecting and collaborating with the community, which is important for the university. Now we have a chance to see richer involvement from our faculty and students. Some of strategies from Community Connections can be used again to develop new, exciting projects.”     Friday, Aug. 17, 2007 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island Publications at 849-1778, ext. 201.