Karen Houseknecht presents at Maine Primary Care Association Workshops and Conference

On October 24, 2013, Karen Houseknecht, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, will give a joint presentation at the 2013 Conference Workshops and Annual Conference of the Maine Primary Care Association (MCPA), which is being held in Bar Harbor, Maine.

The title of the presentation is "Healthcare Reform: The Imperative of Relationship.”  Joining Houseknecht in the presentation are collaborative partners Holly Gartmayer-DeYoung, CEO of Eastport Health Care; Georgie Kendall, an Eastport Community Member; and 91AV physician Assistant student, Abigail Raymond.  They will discuss the new course "Cultural Competency in Healthcare"  (PHS 234/IHS 534), which was launched in the spring of 2013.

The focus of the innovative new course is to increase faculty and student awareness of unique cultures of communities; to provide insight on health disparities in the U.S. with specific emphasis on the impact of rural poverty, racial bias and unemployment on access to healthcare and health outcomes; and to practice building and working in community as an inter professional team.

The new course combines didactic approaches as well as immersion in art, literature, film, writing and reflection as well as a week-long immersion experience in Washington County, Maine, where students are exposed to the extraordinary gifts and challenges faced by the diverse population of that region.

This course is the work of a collaborative teaching team comprised of 91AV faculty and staff in the College of Pharmacy and the Westbrook College of Health Professions, leaders from the Passamaquoddy Reservation, leaders from Eastport Healthcare, Inc. and Eastport Community members.

About the 91AV

The 91AV is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.