Building Partnerships

A New Way to Serve the Community

A study of a major initiative that is changing the course of medical education--the Community Partnerships, sponsored by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. Rather than promote a single solution, Community Partnerships bridge the gap that exists between the culture of communities and the culture of academe by creating viable linking organizations to connect the two. This book also examines the role public policy plays in contributing to the current systems of health professions' education and how public policy can support change. Foreword
1. The Primary Health Care Crisis
2. From Problems to Solutions: A Bridge Between Cultures
3. Community Partnerships in Progress(with Rebecca Henry)
4. The Nature of Academic Health Centers
5. The Nature of Communities(with Bruce Behringer)
6. New Organizational Structures(with Patricia Maguire Meservey)
7. The Role of Public Policy in Changing Health Professionals' Education
8. If We Change What We Pay For, We Change What We Get(with Henry A. Foley)
9. Evaluation as a Tool for Reform(with Rebecca Henry)
10. Multidisciplinary Care and Education(Patricia T. Castiglia)
11. Leading Educational Reform RONALD W. RICHARDS is program director, W. K. Kellogg Foundation, and professor of medical education, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University. Building Partnerships tells the story of a major initiative that is helping to change the course of medical education--the Community Partnerships sponsored by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, which focus on enhancing teamwork within the medical professions and meeting community-defined needs for primary health care. Since 1991, hundreds of medical, nursing, physician assistant, social work, dental, allied health, and other students, operating in seven sites, have been trained to serve their communities in this new and revolutionary manner.Rather than promote a single solution, Building Partnerships reveals the development of many different ways in which health professions' education systems can and should be adapted to increase their relevance to the needs of the people. The book shows how Community Partnerships are able to bridge the gap that exists between the culture of communities and the culture of academe by creating viable linking organizations to connect the two. The authors also examine the role public policy plays in contributing to the current systems of health professions' education and how public policy can support change. Community Partnerships, sponsored by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, is a major initiative to change the course of medical education by enhancing teamwork within the medical professions and meeting community-defined needs for primary health care. This book is a tribute the program's successes?with a look at the stories of hundreds of health professionals who have been trained in this new and revolutionary manner.