BACKGROUND:
Lawndale Christian Health Center (LCHC) is a community-based, FQHC, founded in 1984. LCHC services Chicago's inner-city west side communities where 70% of households are twice below poverty level. Immunization compliance rates are well below the national average. LCHC has received funding by the Illinois Department of Public Health since 2001 to administer an immunization outreach program. Part of this program is the Lawndale Summer Medical Project (LSMP). The LSMP is a door-to-door outreach effort conducted during the summer months of 2003 and 2004 to increase immunization awareness.

OBJECTIVE:
To increase immunization awareness in the community
Administer childhood immunizations in the field
Expose medical students to providing health care in an urban environment
Leadership development of community high school students

METHOD:
The LSMP combines the social and medical models when providing health care. LSMP team consists of LCHC social workers and physicians, volunteer medical students, temporary paid community high school students and a phlebotomist. After a weeklong training and orientation, the students are divided into teams, who then canvas the community, going door to door providing home health surveys centered on child health issues, focusing on immunizations. Vans provided the team with not only transportation but also a venue to administer immunizations, blood lead tests and other health screenings. The physician team member authorized all administered immunizations.

RESULT:
314 families received intensive immunization education
267 children age 0-7 received a blood lead test
47 vaccines were administered to 19 children (2004 only)
Enriched understanding of urban culture was provided to 11 medical students
Leadership development provided to 20 high school students

CONCLUSION:
LSMP is an effective outreach strategy to increase immunization awareness in the community in addition to providing immunizations in the field and training medical students.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
To inform participants about an innovative way to increase immunization awareness in an urban community.