Society of Teachers of Family Medicine

Community Service Project — Seattle 2012

Downtown Emergency Service Center

The mission of the Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC) is to work “to end the homelessness of vulnerable people, particularly those living with serious mental or addictive illnesses Visit their Web site and view their 2011 documentary.

Mary’s Place

Mary’s Place Day Center is a weekday program whose mission is to provide “a welcoming and accepting environment where homeless and recently homeless women and their children can build community, enrich their days and find resources to restore their lives.” For more information about Mary’s Place and the women they serve, visit their Web site.

Each year, STFM likes to give back to the community that hosts our Annual Spring Conference. This year, we are working in cooperation with the Community Health Advancement Program (CHAP) at the University of Washington. CHAP supports a number
of student-run projects in partnership with community organizations and public agencies in Seattle.

The two designated recipients of donations at this year’s STFM conference — the Downtown Emergency Service Center and Mary’s Place — both serve vulnerable individuals and families impacted by homelessness in Seattle. CHAP Students, supervised by volunteer family medicine preceptors, provide dermatologic and foot care to residents and clients at these two organizations.

How You Can Help:

Bring new items from the list below to the meeting:

  • Personal hygiene items  
    (soaps, shampoo/conditioner, travel-size toothpaste, toothbrushes, lotions, travel-size deodorant, sunscreen, hair combs/picks)
  • Hats and gloves
  • Shirts, T-shirts
  • Pants
  • New socks
  • New underwear
  • Shoes
  • Coats and jackets

Ziploc bags will be available at the collection box for small items, including unused toiletries from your hotel room, if you choose to pass these along to Mary’s Place or DESC. 

If it's more convenient, you may mail items ahead of time to Department of Family Medicine, Box 356390, Medical Student Education, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98195.

Your donation(s) will be used by these organizations to continue important services.

Background of CHAP

CHAP was founded 32 years ago by medical students at the University of Washington with support and guidance from faculty in the Department of Family Medicine. Its inaugural project, a Saturday clinic at Holly Park (now RainierPark Medical) Clinic, offered the first weekly expanded hours of any Community Health Center in Seattle in 20 years. The CHAP Saturday Clinic was run by students with the supervision of family medicine doctors from the faculty and around the city. Today many clinics have expanded hours; while that project closed, it has been followed by a number of other CHAP student-run projects in partnership with community organizations and public agencies in Seattle.