Student Honored For Work With Homeless

Allegra Melillo started at Baylor College of Medicine knowing that she wanted to volunteer to work in a student-run clinic.

The only problem was, none existed. So she founded one - The Houston Outreach, Medicine, Education and Social Services Student-Run Free Clinic for the Homeless of Houston, or HOMES.

Melillo's efforts in launching the clinic have earned her recognition as the recipient of one of two Student Community Outreach Awards, presented by the American Academy of Family Physicians. She will accept the award in Kansas City at the national conference in August.

"When I came to Baylor, I saw that there wasn't any continual opportunity for students to get involved with the community," says Melillo, who recently began her third year of medical school. "What we needed was something that was our own."

With the help of Dr. David Buck, assistant professor of family and community medicine at Baylor, she took on the project.

Since January, students from Baylor and four other schools have been seeing patients each Sunday morning at the Lord of the Streets homeless center of Trinity Episcopal Church.

Faculty members supervise the efforts of the students from Baylor, The University of Texas-Houston Medical School, the University of Houston College of Pharmacy and UT-Houston School of Public Health.

"Generally, we see 10 to 12 patients each week. First we have breakfast at the church across the street with the patients, we have clinic from 9 a.m. to noon, then we have a `reflection' period with the students and faculty members to talk about what happened that day," she says.

Melillo says the patients come to the clinic with a variety of illnesses. "It's very primary care - a lot of cuts and upper respiratory infections. But, it's an array of problems, from mental health to drug abuse."

The HOMES clinic is part of Houston Healthcare for the Homeless, where Dr. Buck is medical director.

"During the rigors of med school, Allegra managed to bring together more than 200 students from different institutions and disciplines," Dr. Buck says. "Perhaps, the most important thing is the way she incorporated the community into her clinic model.

"Clearly, this clinic would not have happened without her. She really gave it the extra mile," Dr. Buck says. "She has moved this concept to an unimaginable level."

- Lori Williams

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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