The Barry Farms Health Festival: Transforming Medical Education Through Community Partnerships

The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences Healing Clinic and the Rodham Institute collaborated in partnership with community organizations from the DC Community Hub to organize the Barry Farms Health Festival for the underserved residents of Wards 7 and 8 in Washington, DC. Barry Farms, located in Ward 8 is one of the oldest African American communities in DC with approximately 33% of families below the poverty line(1). Additionally, the region has one of the lowest per capita rates of physicians significantly reducing access to healthcare for residents(2). The Health Festival was designed to meet the health education needs of the community, based on a community assessment conducted by the Community Hub focusing on diabetes, mental health, access to primary care and social services. Students were assigned to specific health content areas from the assessment results such as diabetes, heart disease, car safety, etc., partnered with participating faculty to design education content, and worked with community residents one-on-one at the festival. Over 24 community-based organizations provided screenings and information about local services exposing both residents and students to the network of services that exist in the district. This study assesses student perceptions and experiences from the Health Festival to inform future programming and to understand medical students’ desire for community-based service learning. In a post-festival survey, 99% (n = 76) of students replied that they would be willing to participate in another community-based event and 76% of students strongly agreed or agreed that they would like to enter a specialty that serves underserved patients. Integrating community health partnership into medical education through programs like the Barry Farms Health Festival and the GW Healing Clinic cultivates the next generation of physicians that will become advocates for health equity, practicing in underserved communities