Hope on the
Outskirts
The Medical Student Run Clinic Has Been a Lifeline to Colonia Residents for Over 10 years.
East of El Paso’s urban sprawl stands a solitary border clinic in the colonia known as Sparks, population 4,700.
Dirt roads crisscross the empty desert connecting the many manufactured homes dotting the landscape. They stand in stark contrast to new designer homes, modern schools, and bustling commercial centers to the west, including the 2-year-old, five-story Amazon Fulfillment Center, the largest industrial building in El Paso County.
Separating them is a boulevard that divides unincorporated county land and the rapidly growing community of Horizon City.
Over 80,000 El Pasoans, representing about 10% of the city’s population, call a colonia home. These unincorporated areas are low-income communities that lack basic infrastructure like paved roads and sewage systems.
It’s within the Sparks colonia that a modest community center houses the Foster School of Medicine’s Medical Student Run Clinic, which celebrated its 10th anniversary last year.
As patients arrive on this particular evening, a sudden downpour coats the desert soil outside the clinic, transforming the unpaved parking lot into muddy
ground.
In the front office, second-year medical students Katherine Asmis and Anika Patel discuss team assignments. Sergio Saucedo, after taking care of some maintenance issues due to the rain, shifts into receptionist role. Speaking Spanish, he greets Eloisa, that evening’s first patient.
I’m forever grateful for this clinic and the students. The clinic gave me a new life.
- Clinic patient Eloisa
A pivotal role in the community
A resident of the adjacent Horizon City, Eloisa began coming to the clinic in 2019. Recently, she underwent surgery at University Medical Center of El Paso for a chronic and painful condition. Like most of the clinic’s patients, Eloisa lacks both health insurance and financial resources to manage her health needs. That makes the clinic vital to her health.
“I’m forever grateful for this clinic and the students,” she said, wiping away her tears. “This clinic gave me a new life.”
After her initial diagnosis, the clinic’s medical students switched from care providers to advocates. They navigated the health care system to connect her with a surgeon and secured financial assistance to pay for her procedure.
Eloisa’s journey is typical of the average of some 14 patients who rely on the clinic’s services during each bimonthly, three-hour session. If it weren’t for the clinic, they would likely forego preventive care and only seek medical care when their health issues are in advanced stages.
A place to practice patient care skills
While student-led, these clinics operate under the supervision of licensed physicians. They provide a practical environment for students to hone their skills. In El Paso, there’s a distinctive requirement: the ability to converse in Spanish. This requirement reflects the demographic realities of the area, where over 80% of the population is Hispanic, a stark contrast to the mere 7% of Hispanic physicians and surgeons nationwide. Spanish-speaking physicians are in high demand due to the increasing Hispanic population in the U.S.
Rather than using an existing clinic on campus, like most other student-run clinics, the Sparks clinic is strategically located in the community it serves. The clinic’s impact extends beyond providing access to life-saving, preventive health care. It allows students to research community issues like food insecurity and host specialized events, such as women’s health care outreach and sports clinics. Since opening in 2013, it has provided over 4,000 free medical sessions, with students and faculty collectively volunteering thousands of hour
Care Van Mobile Health Unit
Each month, the Medical Student Run Clinic’s Care Van Mobile Health Unit sets up shop at local businesses and offers a variety of health care services ranging from vaccinations to free high school sports physicals. The use of the Care Van was donated in 2019 by The Caring Foundation of Texas with its major sponsor, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas.