By Associated Press
A $2 million grant to two San Francisco schools will go toward placing immigrant doctors and other health professionals in this country’s health system, school officials announced today.
San Francisco State University and the City College of San Francisco have joined forces to form Welcome Back, a program designed to bring educated, yet disenfranchised, immigrants to fill widening gaps in the U.S. health system.
The three-year grant comes from The California Endowment, a five-year-old foundation claiming assets of $3.7 billion. The Welcome Back project’s main office will be located at City College of San Francisco’s John Adams Campus.
“I think we’re celebrating a project that is going to make this a healthier city,’’ said Dr. Robert Corrigan, president of San Francisco State University.
Many of the doctors present at today’s announcement shared stories of encountering immigrants working as taxi drivers, farm hands or office clerks who were physicians in their native lands.
“We don’t know how many of these individuals there are, we don’t know where they are, we don’t know what kind of training they have ... but we will find them,’’ said Dr. Jose Ramon Fernandez-Pena, a San Francisco State University professor who will be leading the program.
Pena said the first year of the grant will be used to “map our universe,’’ collecting data on what needs to be done and setting up English-language classes and introducing immigrants to the U.S. health system. Funding during the next two years will go toward providing services, such as courses to prepare foreign-trained health professionals for U.S. exams. In return, enrollees will work internships at low-income community clinics.
“We expect to start delivering services in February 2002,’’ Pena said. |
