CCRU History

CCRU from Then to Now
 

CCRU Outreach was founded in May 2022 by Holly Danneman, MD, associate dean for the Northern Kentucky Campus, Steven Haist, MD, inaugural associate dean for the campus, and a group of medical students who composed the initial executive team. CCRU Outreach began as CCRU Clinic in partnership with the Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky (ESNKY), a shelter and service center for adults experiencing homelessness that opened a new facility in 2022 that included a designated onsite health care clinic space to provide holistic care to its guests. Dr. Danneman reached out to Kim M. Webb, the Executive Director of ESNKY, about the possibility of having medical students in the clinic space, and the CCRU Clinic and ESNKY have been in partnership since. 

ESNKY has several medical partners using the healthcare clinic to provide care to ESNKY guests during daytime and evening hours. CCRU staffs the clinic 1-2 nights per week and has partnered with multiple organizations in the community to better serve its patients, including HealthPoint Family Care, Ruwe Family Pharmacy, Blank’s Pharmacy, and Faith Community Pharmacy.
 

Medical Student Involvement
 

Medical students in all years of training serve as the backbone for CCRU as they manage operations: from working with ESNKY on clinic funding, ordering and keeping supply inventory, to organizing community involvement projects. Beginning in September 2022, the Introduction to Clinical Medicine (ICM) course has included volunteering at CCRU as a service learning experience for M1s to encourage active learning and foster a better understanding of the health obstacles faced by those who are homeless. In 2023, the clinic began inviting undergraduate students for an opportunity to volunteer and shadow to learn more about these obstacles.
 

From Clinic to Outreach Organization
 

CCRU Outreach has grown from the initial CCRU Clinic as it branches out to be more involved in the NKY community. CCRU Outreach held its first annual Community Health Fair with Florence Christian Church in June 2023, and looks forward to finding other ways to support care for the underserved population in the community. There are more exciting partnerships and events in the works, and we hope you will continue to read through our website to find what is coming next! CCRU Clinic would not be possible without the generous support of ESNKY. Additionally, CCRU Outreach is made possible through generous donations from our community and UK College of Medicine.