LSMP History
In the Summer of 2002, several of the doctors and other staff at Lawndale Christian Health Center and the area director of the Christian Medical & Dental Society discussed plans to create a student project environment built around real needs in the surrounding community. It was the desire from the outset that the summer project would be an ideal environment in which medical, dental, and allied health students could serve in an urban setting, while working alongside Christian doctors committed to working with the poor in Chicago. During the course of the next year (2002-2003), plans were laid for the first LSMP.
The Lawndale Summer Medical Project was developed as a door-to-door outreach project targeting the health and safety of children residing in the North Lawndale, East and West Garfield communities of near-west Chicago. As a specific medical focus, there would be particular emphasis placed on incidence of lead toxicity, because of historical and current indicators of lead in older homes built in this area.
According to CDPH health statistics, approximately 1/3 of all North Lawndale Children are lead poisoned. Thus, the LSMP sought to achieve two specific goals. First, the LSMP sought to educate residents in the targeted communities about the importance of child health and safety issues. This would be accomplished by seeking to complete 250 health and wellness surveys in the home. Secondly, the LSMP sought to increase the number of blood lead tests among children in the targeted communities. This would be accomplished by administering blood lead tests to at least 150 kids, ages nine months to six years, to screen for lead poisoning. The project would employ a phlebotomist who could work with the students each day in a mobile medical van where prospective patients could walk only a few blocks from their respective homes.
For an entire month, beginning June 30, 2003 and ending July 25, 2003, the outreach team hit the streets four days per week. Areas were targeted on the basis of concentration of children ages 0-6 in the North Lawndale, East and West Garfield communities.
By the end of the fourth week, the LSMP student teams had met 74% of the objective on completing in-home surveys. 186 families were educated about child health and safety issues. The teams had met 99% of the objective on increasing the number of children screened for lead poisoning. 148 children were tested for lead poisoning. Of all the children who were tested, 73% had a blood lead level greater than 5µg/dl. 22% of all children tested were lead poisoned (over 10µg/dl). Only 22% of children tested show little or no lead at all in their blood (less than 5µg/dl).
All blood test results were mailed to the families' homes. Protocol was established for children with an elevated blood lead level to be followed up by MCH staff per normal procedures. Of all the children who were screened in the community, 56% (83) were not patients of LCHC. Of the non-LCHC patients who were tested, 36% (30) were lead poisoned. As a result, seven follow-up appointments were scheduled with an LCHC pediatrician. |
