Group on Community Medicine

History

Will Pickles, MD kept diligent records of patient information in 7 rural villages in England “Epidemiology in a Country Practice” 1939.

Sidney Kark, MD began practicing “comprehensive, curative, and preventive service” in Pholela, Kwa-Zulu-Natal, South Africa. They coined the phrase Community Oriented Primary Health Care, ran afoul of the apartheid regime and emigrated to the Kiryat Yovel Health Center in Jerusalem, Israel. They further developed the field through publication of The Practice of Community-Oriented Primary Health Care and Epidemiology and Community Medicine and by mentoring future leaders.

U.S. “community responsive initiatives” in 1950s and 60’s

for Native Americans, Kentucky rural areas

OEO mandates to eliminate poverty created funding for Neighborhood Health Centers in 60’s

Geiger goes to Mississippi Mound Bayou in Mississippi Delta

Gibson-Columbia Point NHC

IOM 1982 study codifies the Karks process. The process of COPC defined as 1) defining practice’s community, 2) identification of a problem 3) intervention to improve health problem, 4) evaluation of intervention to modify and improve its effect on health. These were further expounded on in an 1987 Nutting book on COPC

APHA 1998 book “Planning for Community-Oriented Health Systems”

Pathman & colleagues (1998) describe the four domains of community skills and knowledge employed by practicing physicians: 1) familiarity with community resources and services, 2) attention to socio-cultural aspects of care, 3) participation in and assimilation into the community as citizens, 4) participation in health activities of the community, such as COPC.

In 1998 also Rhyne et al edited Community-Oriented Primary Care: Health Care for the 21 st Century. This is a comprehensive, state-of-the-art review and practical guide to specific skills and techniques the support COPC.