UConn Health

October 13, 2011 | Chris DeFrancesco '94 (CLAS) - UConn Health

Primary Care Week to Focus on Innovation

UConn’s observance will include a keynote address from Gov. Malloy Oct. 17.

As part of National Primary Care Week, Michelle Pheng, at the time a second-year pharmacy student, sees a patient at the South End Senior Wellness Center in Hartford. (Connie Cantor/UConn Health Center Photo)

As part of National Primary Care Week, Michelle Pheng, at the time a second-year pharmacy student, sees a patient at the South End Senior Wellness Center in Hartford. (Connie Cantor/UConn Health Center Photo)

As part of National Primary Care Week, Michelle Pheng, at the time a second-year pharmacy student, sees a patient at the South End Senior Wellness Center in Hartford. (Connie Cantor/UConn Health Center Photo)
Michelle Pheng, now a third-year UConn pharmacy student, is one of the students who saw patients at a community health fair last year, part of UConn’s observance of National Primary Care Week. This year’s community health fairs will take place Oct. 19. (Petra Clark Dufner/UConn Health Center Photo)

National Primary Care Week community health fairs will take place Wednesday, October 19, from 1:30 to 4 p.m.

Hartford Area

  • Asylum Hill Family Medical Center, 99 Woodland St., Hartford
  • Community Health Services, 500 Albany Ave., Hartford
  • Hispanic Senior Center, 45 Wadsworth St., Hartford
  • North End Senior Center, 80 Coventry St., Hartford
  • Parkville Senior Center, 11 New Park Ave., Hartford
  • South End Senior Wellness Center, 830 Maple Ave., Hartford
  • East Hartford Community HealthCare, Inc., 94 Connecticut Blvd., East Hartford
  • Community Health Center, Inc. of New Britain, 85 Lafayette St., New Britain

Hamden Area

  • YMCA-Hamden, 1605 Sherman Ave., Hamden
  • YMCA-Wallingford, 81 South Elm St., Wallingford
  • Community Health Center, Inc. of Meriden, 134 State St., Meriden

Willimantic Area

  • Mansfield Senior & Wellness Center, 303 Maple Road, Storrs

UConn medical, dental, nursing and pharmacy students will staff community health fairs again this year as part of the school’s observance of National Primary Care Week.

The period of October 15-21 also includes discussions, lunch-and-learn sessions, and a dinner Monday, October 17, at the Farmington Club featuring a keynote address from Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.

Malloy is expected to discuss how to increase the numbers of students in state medical and dental schools making generalist career choices and staying in Connecticut to practice. His Bioscience Connecticut initiative includes a loan forgiveness program for medical and dental school graduates who pursue careers in primary care in the state.

The theme of National Primary Care Week 2011 is “Innovations in Primary Care.” Details on the scheduled talks are available at http://publichealth.uconn.edu/npcw.php.

Dr. Bruce E. Gould, associate dean for primary care at the UConn School of Medicine and director of the Connecticut Area Heath Education Center, recently was interviewed about National Primary Care Week for a feature on the Primary Care Progress website.

The health fairs will take place in the greater Hartford, Willimantic and Hamden areas from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, October 19. Students will provide free blood pressure and blood glucose screenings as well as preventive health education materials for oral health, nutrition, medication interaction education, heart health and diabetes prevention.

The UConn students will be joined at the health fairs by physician assistant students and faculty from Quinnipiac University and community clinicians.

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