University of Pittsburgh Internal Medicine Residency Training
 University of Pittsburgh | UPMC | Health Sciences at Pitt | School of Medicine


Academic Resources
Other Resources
University of Pittsburgh Internal Medicine Residency Program
UPMC Montefiore Hospital, N-713,
200 Lothrop Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Phone: 412-692-4942
Fax: 412-692-4944
 

Program Overview: Opportunities to Serve

Birmingham Clinic

Clinics for Underserved Populations

The Program for Health Care to Underserved Populations (PHCUP) was established in 1994 and has served as a safety net for vulnerable members of the Pittsburgh community who are in need of health care but lack economic resources and appropriate access. The mission of the program is to coordinate and facilitate the provision of free health care to identified population groups typically excluded from traditional primary health care. The program has been a pioneer in the genesis of unique service-learning opportunities for medical students, pharmacy students, and medical residents from the University of Pittsburgh. The PHCUP provides a unique opportunity for residents to work with community and government agencies whose goal is to meet the social and medical needs of the underserved. It allows the residents to gain experience with the direct care and complex needs of medically disenfranchised individuals in the urban communities of Pittsburgh. Staff physicians and pharmacists provide nearly 1,800 hours of volunteer service and over 1,500 hours of teaching and precepting time annually.

The PHCUP serves homeless, uninsured, and disenfranchised Pittsburghers through four clinics that provide approximately 3,000 primary care visits and fill about 4,500 on-site prescriptions free of charge per year. Each clinic is partnered with a community social service agency, and each has an exclusively volunteer team of physicians, pharmacists, and University of Pittsburgh residents and medical students who provide holistic acute and chronic care with a multidisciplinary approach. Interns participate in the program as part of their ambulatory block rotation, and residents can continue on a voluntary basis. For instance, at the program's Birmingham Free Clinic, which serves clients from the South Side Salvation Army residential programs and from the general public, residents voluntarily staff the Saturday clinic sessions.

Basic primary care services provided include:

  • Physical examinations
  • Routine immunizations
  • HIV testing and care
  • Tuberculosis screening
  • Pregnancy testing
  • Smoking cessation programs
  • Diagnosis and management of chronic medical conditions (e.g., hypertension, asthma, and diabetes)

Four clinics currently provide primary care free of charge, with no third-party billing. They are as follows:

  • The Birmingham Free Clinic–Salvation Army Homeless Drop-In Center serves uninsured and indigent clients from the South Side Salvation Army programs and the general public. It is also the only free clinic in southwestern Pennsylvania to serve the growing number of uninsured Latino adults and children in our region. The Saturday clinic session is staffed with medical student interpreters who speak Spanish.

    Location: 54 South 9th Street, Pittsburgh, PA

    Monday 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
    Wednesday 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
    Friday 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM
    Saturday 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM

  • The Women's Center Clinic serves female victims of domestic violence in a shelter setting.

    Location: Confidential

    Monday 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM

  • The HUB Outreach Center Clinic serves older homeless individuals and serves transient adolescents who are 17-21 years old.

    Location: 26th and Smallman Street (in the Strip District), Pittsburgh, PA

    Tuesday 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM

  • The Salvation Army Harbor Light (SA-HL) Rehabilitation Program serves residents of the SA-HL New Hope Substance Abuse Rehabilitation Program on the North Side.

    Location: 865 West North Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA

    Monday 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM