Health and Medical Sciences 98/198: The Suitcase Clinic

A Service Learning Course

University of California, Berkeley

Health and Medical Sciences Department

www.suitcaseclinic.org

Thursdays, 5:00 – 7:00 PM

200 Wheeler Hall

E-mail: class@suitcaseclinic.org

Course Description

The Suitcase Clinic is a student and volunteer run organization founded by students from the UCB-UCSF Joint Medical Program (JMP) and UC Berkeley's School of Public Health out of a desire to address the unmet needs of the city of Berkeley’s homeless and low-income population. Structured around the principles of public health, social welfare, community activism and empathy, the Suitcase Clinic currently operates three weekly multi-service drop-in centers in the city Berkeley; the General Clinic, the Women’s Clinic and the Youth Clinic. In addition to providing services, the Suitcase Clinic strives to educate students, promote health care access, engage in community organization, and support public policy efforts that address homelessness and the needs of the underserved in the local community.

Health and Medical Science 98/198 is a 2-unit Pass/NotPass 16-week course offered Thursdays from 5:00 - 7:00 PM every fall and spring semester to undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley. Undergraduate students facilitate this course as both Class Coordinators and Undergraduate Student Instructors (UGSIs). HMS 98/198 is not a DeCal course, but rather is affiliated with the Health and Medical Sciences Division of UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health. Undergraduate students interested in volunteering with the Suitcase Clinic during the fall and spring semesters of the academic year must first take this course, which combines community service with classroom learning. Both this class and the Suitcase Clinic as a whole are intended for students with an interest in public health and social welfare, not those interested in receiving extensive clinical exposure in preparation for medical school.

Students interested in working directly with the homeless population and providing health and social services to the underserved are our ideal applicants. This course will help students develop basic skills in health care and social work, learn about community resources and government programs, and gain a greater awareness about issues of homelessness, poverty, and health. Students who enroll in the course serve as volunteer caseworkers at one or more of the Suitcase Clinic’s drop-in centers. After completing the course and concurrent volunteer commitment with the Suitcase Clinic, students have the opportunity to continue their involvement within our organization by remaining as dedicated volunteers at our drop-in centers, running for staff positions on our Planning Committee, or becoming involved as medical assistants at one of several allied community health care clinics in the city of Berkeley.

Course Enrollment

Our first class for the fall 2007 semester will be held on Thursday, August 30th. Incoming students will be selected based on their answers to an application, which will be handed out on this first day. It will be due by 4:00 PM on Wednesday, September 5th, in 570 University Hall. Course entry codes are passed out on the second week of classes after your application has been reviewed and you have been accepted into the course. Freshmen and sophomores (those with less than 60 units) enroll in HMS 98, while juniors and seniors (those with more than 60 units) enroll in HMS 198. Students enrolled in HMS 98 participate in the same classroom as those in HMS 198, receive the same training, and attend the same lectures.

Due to space constraints, we are unable to accept auditors into the class, nor can we admit students who just want to volunteer without receiving units. However, there are still other ways to get involved with the Suitcase Clinic. If you are unable to take this course, speak with one of the Class Coordinators for more information about additional volunteer opportunities, such as attending one of our two Summer Trainings (which are open to everyone, not just UC Berkeley undergraduate students), volunteering as a service provider at one of our three drop-in centers, or participating in SPEAC and/or SHARE.

Schedule

The first six weeks of the course focus on educating and training undergraduate caseworkers for their volunteer work within the Suitcase Clinic. The remaining nine weeks provide students with a fundamental understanding of the issues faced by homeless people and low-income individuals. In addition, these later weeks revisit and refine the skills learned within the first portion of the class.

1. 8/30/07 Introduction to the Suitcase Clinic and HMS 98/198
2. 9/6/07 The Suitcase Clinic’s model and the role of the caseworker
3. 9/13/07 Caseworking skills, local resources and domestic abuse
4. 9/20/07 Security training and emergency response
5. 9/27/07 Suicide and crisis training
6. 10/4/07 (Midterm, Planning Committee and SHARE requirement both due)
7. 10/11/07 Housing and unemployment
8. 10/18/07 Civil rights (first caseworking requirement due)
9. 10/25/07 Diversity
10. 11/1/07 Substance abuse (second caseworking requirement due)
11. 11/8/07 Mental illness
12. 11/15/07 Health care (third caseworking requirement due)
13. 11/22/07 (Thanksgiving)
14. 11/29/07 Welfare (final paper due)
15. 12/6/07 Small Group Project presentations, wrap-up, evaluations (fourth caseworking requirement due)

Attendance

• Students are allowed a maximum of two unexcused class absences before receiving a grade of NotPass. You are also allowed one excused absence in case of conflicts with midterms in other courses, documented medical emergencies, and valid personal emergencies. Students must submit proof of absence to the class coordinator in charge of attendance (Addie Cuneo) in a timely manner. You must be present for the entire class period; leaving class early and unexcused will be considered an absence. Students must attend each of the entire first six weeks of this course in order to remain enrolled, as the most sensitive and important lessons are given during this time.
• Attendance at the General Clinic tour on September 4^th is mandatory for all students in order to remain enrolled in this course. General Clinic volunteers must shadow one time at the General Clinic before the midterm is administered. They must casework at the General Clinic drop-in center at least three times, and at another drop-in center at least once, within the semester.
• Youth Clinic volunteers must first attend the Youth Clinic tour on September 3^rd before being eligible to volunteer there. They must casework at the Youth Clinic drop-in center at least three times, and at another drop-in center at least once, within the semester.
• Women’s Clinic volunteers must first attend the Women’s Clinic tour on September 3^rd before being eligible to volunteer there. They must casework at the Women’s Clinic drop-in center at least three times, and at another drop-in center at least once, within the semester.
• In an effort to ensure an even flow of volunteers at our drop-in centers, it is required that you complete your first case working day by 10/18/07, your second by 11/1/07, your third by 11/15/07, and your fourth and final caseworking by 12/6/07.
• All students must attend one Planning Committee meeting and one SHARE meeting before the midterm is administered on October 4, 2007. The Planning Committee meets on Wednesdays, from 7:00-8:00 PM, in 2326 Tolman. SHARE meets on the 3rd floor of the General Clinic every Tuesday from 7:30 - 9:00 PM.

Assignments

1. Weekly readings, which will be assigned a week prior to the date of class discussion. You will be expected to have read the course materials for each section before the class period during which that topic will be discussed. You are required to bring the course reader to class each week, as much of our discussion will be based upon the articles therein. The course reader will be available at University Copy Service on the third week of classes. University Copy Service is located at 2425 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA 94704, and can be reached via phone at (510) 549-2335.
2. A midterm, administered on October 4, 2007. It will be 50% written, 50% oral. Students must pass the midterm to remain enrolled within the course. More details will be given out during the first five weeks of the class. After the completion of the midterm, students may begin serving as caseworkers at the drop-in center of their choice.
3. The completion each week of a half-page reflection paper. This paper will cover the readings for that week, in addition to your caseworking experience at a drop-in center on that Monday or Tuesday if applicable. This will be submitted in both physical and electronic form to your small group’s Undergraduate Student Instructor (UGSI).
4. The completion and presentation to the entire class of your small group project on December 6, 2007.
5. A final paper covering a specific topic which we have covered during the course, submitted in both physical and electronic form to your small group’s Undergraduate Student Instructor (UGSI), due on November 29, 2007.

Final Paper Guidelines

• Minimum of four pages, double-spaced, one-inch margins, 12 pt. Times New Roman font.
• Answer all aspects of the topic you choose.
• Cite all sources you use, including the reader. Bibliography optional.
• It is meant to be both factual and personal.

Listed below are several potential topics for you to choose from when writing your final paper. Please think about your topic and have it approved by your UGSI beforehand.

• Pick a referral for the use of the homeless and undergo the process of obtaining that referral – what is the experience really like? Is it efficient? How long does it take to obtain the service? What kinds of changes can be made to improve the experience?
• Create a policy proposal or choose one already in existence about homelessness and write about its effectiveness and its effects on the homeless community/individuals. How realistic is it? Which parties do you have to keep in mind when writing this proposal?
• Choose any major topic in the reader (i.e. mental illness, civil rights) and write about the major issue in relation to homelessness. Why is it an important one to discuss? What facts can you find? How can you address the issue to make positive changes
• As we are always looking to improve the reader, find two articles in regards to any of the major topics of the reader, and write a two-page reflection on each article. Include why you felt the article is important, and why it may have helped you if it had been in the reader.
• Free topic. Make sure it is relevant to this class and the topics we discuss, and please get it approved by your UGSI ahead of time.

Class Coordinators

Undergraduate students facilitate this course as both Class Coordinators and Undergraduate Student Instructors (UGSIs). Contact the Class Coordinators for administrative concerns:

• Addie Cueno (aacuneo@berkeley.edu) regarding attendance;
• Courtney Hernandez (court@berkeley.edu) regarding enrollment;
• Austin Eckard (eckard@berkeley.edu) regarding course requirements;

Small Groups

During the semester, the class is divided into seven smaller discussion and project groups. As a general practice, every class will devote the latter 30-45 minutes to small group time. During this time you will discuss weekly topics, establish tangible connections between class material and the drop-in center caseworking experience, discuss concerns and experiences within the Suitcase Clinic, and work on group projects. These group projects further assist the population served by the Suitcase Clinic in a variety of ways. Students will specify their small group preferences on their application, ranking them from #1-6, with #1 being your most preferred. If you would like more information, or have any questions regarding any of the group projects, please contact the facilitators who are connected to the individual projects before you submit your application. Keep in mind that these are your projects, so they are all very flexible in meeting the ingenuity and unique composition of your small group.

Supply Drive

Swetha Madhusudan (swetha_ms@berkeley.edu)

Angela Nguyen (minhtu@berkeley.edu)

The supply drive group aims to collect necessary items for the General Clinic’s Health Education division, such as hygiene supplies, toiletries, clothing, etc. We will do this by approaching various homes in local Berkeley residential neighborhoods and talking to families to ask for donations, petitioning residents within campus dormitories, and reaching out to local businesses. While this approach has been very successful in the past, we are open to experimenting with new ideas for obtaining more supplies, and we encourage your input! The group requires a time commitment on certain weekends on which we conduct the supply drives. The group also requires the completion of an individual supply drive, which will be more flexible in nature. An ideal member of this small group is someone who is outgoing, enthusiastic, organized, responsible and has proactive ideas. We encourage students who have access to cars to prioritize this small group, as adequate transportation forms an essential component of our group project. Members of the Supply Drive small group will be required to volunteer at the General Clinic three times throughout the semester.

Dinners

Sam Tran (samvitran@berkeley.edu)

Joy Bhat (jlbhat@gmail.com)

 This group will be coordinating monthly themed dinners for the clients at General Clinic, providing one of the most popular services offered there. Petitioning for donations will also form a large component of the small group's project. This involves contacting managers and forming partnerships with local businesses and restaurants. The goal is to successfully host five dinners over the course of the spring semester. To popularize the dinners, outreach efforts in the local community will be enacted an hour or two before the dinners begin, so be sure that your Tuesday's are free from 5:00-9:30. 

Women’s Clinic

Jodi Ram (jodiram@berkeley.edu)

The women’s clinic small group will focus greatly on the pilot wellness/mental health program that began at the women’s clinic this past summer. Throughout the semester we will be assessing the needs and desires of the women and children at the clinic and moving on to provide bimonthly wellness workshops for the clients. We will also be doing a few photo shoots at the clinic, where we will take studio-like photos of the women and children and print out copies for the clients to keep and/or share with their friends and family. The end goal of this semester will be to take the photos that we took during the summer and that we will take during the semester, and display them in a photo exhibition to raise awareness about homelessness. Those clients who wish to have their photos as a part of the exhibition will be signing release forms and we will have the proper permission to do the project.

Youth Clinic

Swathi Bhuma (SwathiB@berkeley.edu)

Shruthi Bhuma (ShruthiB@berkeley.edu)

One of the newer branches of Suitcase Clinic, Youth Clinic was created to better serve the needs of Berkeley’s homeless youth population. Although we do offer many of the same services as the other clinics, (legal, medical, foot washing etc) we do so in a more laid back fashion to better establish trust with our cliental. While proving services, volunteers typically chat with our clients and play various card and board games with them. We also cook dinner and eat together in a more family like manner. This semester we want to further promote this family like bond by coming up with more organized activities that are both entertaining and beneficial for our clients. To address the entertainment aspect, we would like to organize 2-3 main activity days as well as other activities that we can have ongoing throughout the entire year. Many of our clients have already expressed the desire to have activities revolving around music, dance, card games etc. Additionally, addressing the beneficial aspect, we would like to plan two events where guest speakers can better inform our clients about the various outlets of help offered throughout the community.

SHARE

Addie Cuneo (aacuneo@berkeley.edu)

Robert Lee (robertelee@berkeley.edu)

The SHARE (Searching How to Achieve Respect and Empowerment) small group will be focusing on its goal of ending homelessness through a series of workshops for our clients. Emphasizing respect and empowerment, these workshops will focus on such issues as the welfare of the individual, career/job finding and mental health. Students in the SHARE small group will be responsible for organizing these workshops by developing the curriculum and finding professionals to serve as guest speakers. One example would be presenting a workshop on mental health in collaboration with the Tang Center. These workshops will complement the regular SHARE discussions held weekly at the General Clinic. SHARE small group members will be required to attend SHARE meetings and casework at the General Clinic. SHARE Small Group members will have the opportunity to contribute to current SHARE-led projects, such as setting up a clothes washing station for the clients. During this semester, members of the SHARE Small Group may be paired up with a regular client to encourage ongoing relationships and foster an understanding of SHARE’s impact on everyday lives. In doing so, they will be more engaged with the philosophy of SHARE and better understand its mission.

SPEAC

Tanvir Kapoor (tanvir.kapoor@gmail.com)

Jane Chung (janechung@berkeley.edu)

The SPEAC Small Group is dedicated to advocacy through education. Our goal is to raise awareness and encourage meaningful and informed dialogue about homelessness. This semester, we will create and distribute pamphlets entitled “Ten Things You Should Know About the Homeless”: a creative and colorful look at myths, misconceptions, and stereotypes surrounding the homeless community. We will also coordinate a campus-wide movie screening toward the end of the semester. We are looking for diverse expertise, backgrounds, and perspectives to make our work-products impactful and high-quality. If you want to know more, check out the speac Small Group website: speac.pbwiki.com. There will be a strong research component to this small group project.