Thanks to a unique collaboration between NYU Winthrop Hospital , RotaCare (a free appointment-only health clinic under the medical direction of Roman Urbanczyk, MD), and Stony Brook Health Outreach and Medical Education (HOME), the NYU Winthrop Student Health (WiSH) Clinic has recently opened, helping to better serve the healthcare needs of the community.

This free, student-run clinic - a vision of the fourth year medical students that has received support of NYU Winthrop's Senior Administration and Office of Academic Affairs - is helping to provide comprehen- sive primary and preventative care to the uninsured patient population of Nassau County at the A. Holly Patterson Extended Care Facility in Uniondale.

"We are pleased to partner with RotaCare and Stony Brook HOME to offer this important health service to the community," said Francis Faustino, MD, WiSH Clinic Medical Director and Chairman of the Department of Family Medicine at NYU Winthrop.

Some of the WiSH Clinic's medical student volunteers join with Francis Faustino, MD, the Clinic's Medical Director and Chairman of the Department of Family Medicine at NYU Winthrop (second from right); Maria Glorioso, MSW, RotaCare (right); and Steven Shelov, MD, MS, Director, Undergraduate Medical Education, Associate Dean, NYU Winthrop Campus (second from left).

The Clinic is staffed by fourth year medical student volunteers who live and study at NYU Winthrop as part of the Clinical Campus of Stony Brook University School of Medicine. At the clinic, Dr. Faustino, as well as other health- care professionals, are guiding the medical student volunteers and providing constructive input to help them develop the skills necessary to become model physicians.

"The medical students involved with the WiSH Clinic have firsthand experience taking care of patients with complex medical problems under the supervision of superb primary care physicians," said Steven Shelov, MD, MS, Director, Undergraduate Medical Education, Associate Dean, NYU Winthrop Campus. "Their enthusiasm, commitment, leadership and passion about what they do serve as models for future stu- dents who will participate. It is a testimony to the NYU Winthrop spirit that such a student- initiated endeavor has become a reality."

"I am confident that the first-rate healthcare services, combined with the important educational experiences that our medical student volunteers are receiving as part of their service in this Clinic, will serve the needs of the community well as we work together with RotaCare and Stony Brook HOME to make this Clinic a success," said Dr. Faustino.