From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Student Health Action Coalition (SHAC) is the oldest student-run free clinic in the United States at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

SHAC is run entirely by student volunteers from the UNC Schools of Social Work, Public Health, Physical Therapy, Pharmacy, Nursing, Medicine, and Dentistry. The students, under the supervision of UNC doctors and professors, combine their skills to hold weekly dental and health clinics, to care for home-bound elderly citizens, to create sustainable community health promotion programs, to build an annual Habitat for Humanity house, and to partner in activities with local health and social service organizations.

In 2004, SHAC saw 740 patients, more than 600 of which came from the immediate surroundings of Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Durham, NC. Of the total patients seen, 83% reported that they are not insured, and that the SHAC clinic is their only source of primary care. Established in 1967, SHAC has always been dedicated to serving the underserved. In particular, the organization has attempted to redress the drastic differences in health indices between minorities and NC’s Caucasian population; in 2004, almost 60% of the patients seen were Hispanic, and the majority of patients seen had only a high school/GED-level or less education.

In addition to providing basic medical services, SHAC performs the essential function of educating patients about healthy behaviors. The organization relies heavily on the training and resources available to its public health students for one-on-one patient counseling regarding diet, exercise, smoking cessation and sexual health. Annual educational and disease screening projects include Well Child Clinics, Fiesta del Pueblo, and work at several other health fairs, including FestiFall, Apple Chill, and Effland’s Octoberfest. Ongoing SHAC Outreach projects include Diabetic Foot Clinics in Hurdle Mills and Nutrition Education and Cooking Sessions at Carrboro’s Club Nova.

SHAC also receives and implements grants from NC’s branch of Reach Out and Read, which the organization uses to educate patients about child literacy and to provide pediatric patients with free reading materials. In 2004, SHAC performed clinic referrals for over a third of the patients seen, a fact which indicates the organization’s interest in connecting the patients it serves with other established medical organizations. The organization is also dedicated to integrating its patients into the existing primary healthcare system; SHAC has now been enrolling patients in the Children’s Health Insurance Program for two years.

• Student Health Action Coalition (SHAC)