Amigos en Medicina
With a mission to provide access to healthcare for Southside residents of San Antonio, Ortho SA has partnered up with Christus Health and UIW physical therapy/medical students to make this possible.
Dr. Roberto Fajardo, a UIW Clinical Researcher as well as Dr. Morrey from Ortho San Antonio, teamed up together to give the San Antonio Southside community free access to quality healthcare.
While serving the San Antonio, Texas community, UIW is offering medical students the chance to have firsthand experience in orthopedic care.
About Amigos en Medicina
Amigos en Medicina is a volunteer-based clinic. They had their most recent clinic on Saturday, September 17th where orthopedic professionals and medical students help take care of those who are uninsured.
This program provides patients with x-rays, physical exam evaluations for their hip & joint pain, and the knowledge necessary to do helpful exercises at home for pain management. Although Amigos en Medicina specializes in hip & joint pain, for now, we will eventually expand into musculoskeletal ailments as well.
At the end of each patient’s visit, they receive free groceries from the volunteers at Amigos en Medicina and a follow-up appointment to see how they are doing!
Not only does Amigos en Medicina allow Southside San Antonio residents the necessary healthcare they need, but this also allows UIW medical students to connect with the community and gain hands-on experience in the medical field.
The UIW medical students learn to perform checkup examinations for both the hip & knee areas. Under the supervision of Dr. Morrey and the Ortho San Antonio hip and knee fellows, these students can be in direct contact with each patient.
UIW Faculty & Med/PT Student Testimonials
“The Amigos en Medicina program granted me the opportunity to work in an interdisciplinary capacity with UIWSOM and see the positive influence that different professions can make on a patient's plan of care. It was an invaluable experience.” - Zachary Kinninger, a second-year learner at SoPT
“I saw so many smiles, and then even one patient who couldn't believe the improvements he saw coming from the first visit to the second visit,” commented Allen. “The overwhelming gratitude to the faculty, staff, and students is something that I’ll take with me for a long time.” - Christian Allen, a rising second-year SOM student
"UIW students are servant leaders. These experiences bring social health disparities to the forefront and encourage students to find ways of minimizing or eliminating gaps within this community through partnerships and resources. Changing the world may be impossible in one day but changing the world around us is possible and our students do just that with each patient they see through these real-world experiences." -- Dr. Emma Santa Maria, a UIW faculty member
Amigos en Medicina has been active in the South San Antonio community and will continue to be as we host future clinics! We are so proud of the work that we’ve done and the improvements we’ve seen in our patients and look forward to more.
If you’d like to learn more about Ortho SA or the Amigos en Medicina program, visit our website or give us a call!