Criterion One: Mission and Integrity Core Component 1c: Understanding of and support for the mission pervade the organization.

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	Within our broader mission, as defined by the UM System, UMKC’s focus mission areas are “to lead in life and health sciences; to deepen and expand strength in the visual and performing arts; to develop a professional workforce and collaborate in urban issues and education; and to create a vibrant learning and campus life experience.” Evidence that our academic units, departments and divisions are working to advance the elements of our mission pervades all aspects of our University.
To lead in the life and health sciences Our health sciences schools provide invaluable health services to the residents of our city. UMKC’s School of Dentistry [SOD] is the largest provider of dental services to underserved people in the metropolitan area and the region, with services offered at SOD and in outreach clinics throughout the city. SOD supplies dental care to 33,000 patients through 110,000 patient visits at our on-site dental clinic, which uses a sliding scale fee to ensure that everyone who needs care is able to receive it. This community service offers instruction in clinical dentistry for dental and dental hygiene students under the supervision of licensed dentists. In addition, 8,914 low-income patients of all ages received care in 2008 through the SOD’s Partnership for Smiles program, which operates at health centers across the metropolitan area. patients, as well as people who are covered by Medicaid. SOM students created one of the city’s premier outreach health centers, the Sojourner Clinic, which serves men and women who make their homes on the streets of downtown Kansas City, Mo. Since the clinic opened in 2004, our medical students have volunteered one day a week to care for hundreds of patients. Faculty physicians and resident physicians from Truman Medical Center East, Truman Medical Center West, and St. Luke’s Hospital supervise and support the students’ efforts. During its years in operation, more than 200 students have volunteered at the clinic, working more than 2,200 hours and filling more than 2,400 prescriptions. Today Sojourner is the primary care provider for many of downtown Kansas City’s homeless residents. In addition to clinical experiences that students receive during the course of their educational programs, our School of Nursing [SON] cares for indigent women through the Helen Gragg Clinic, located at Operation Breakthrough, a not-for-profit organization which is Missouri’s largest single-site childcare and early-education center. The clinic offers a one-stop opportunity for parents whose children attend Operation Breakthrough’s daycare, which provides services for children from disadvantaged homes. UMKC’s nurse practitioners help patients focus on preventative care, thereby improving overall health care for themselves and their children.
UMKC’s School of Pharmacy [SOP] provides services at Kansas City Free Health Clinic, the Samuel Rodgers Clinic, and the Jackson County Free Health Clinic. At the latter clinic, faculty and students volunteer for two and a half days each week. In 2008, they provided 2,200 patients with pharmacy assistance. One of our pharmacy residents is assigned to the Samuel Rodgers Health Center, where patients are seen 12 hours each week and more than 500 patients are seen each year. Similarly, SOP sees approximately 250 patients each year, dispensing more than 1,500 medications at the Jackson County Free Health Clinic.