They can also listen through stethoscopes to the child's heart and lungs. The images and sounds are relayed instantaneously from the school to the center. Doctors treat a variety of ailments this way, from rashes and earaches to sore throats. Last spring the center began Health Connection, a partnership with Argentine Middle School. This community outreach program sends KU physicians, residents and students into eighth-grade classrooms to talk about health issues.
Contests help educate and motivate the students.
The same information is then presented to parents in the evenings. Another of the center's community-service programs provides free prescription drugs to patients in need. This program is especially important because so many patients are unable to afford the prescriptions that they require, Moseley said. The growing problem is especially prevalent among the older patients. Jennifer Johnson, medicine and pediatrics intern said that the center's environment had provided her with valuable real-world experience.