CHS 334: Community Health Care

This course introduces students to the challenges faced by low-income populations when utilizing -- and failing to utilize -- the American healthcare system. Each class session will present an actual case study drawn from the community of Tucson. Students will have the opportunity to learn the details of the case, explore the past and present real-life world of the patient, examine the specific barriers to treatment, investigate the resources -- or lack thereof -- available, and then create a proposed healthcare solution specific for that patient. Ongoing topics will include the lived experiences of low-income populations and the co-morbid effects of drug use, alcohol abuse, mental illness, physical trauma, nutritional deficits, sexually transmitted disease, and societal stigmatization.