Beyond the classroom, lab and hospital walls, University of Kentucky medical students continue to find meaningful ways to improve the health of their communities.
It’s been just over a year since students in the UK College of Medicine’s Rural Physician Leadership Program (RPLP) in Morehead launched a student-run mobile health clinic. Caring for Appalachians Through Service (CATS) Clinic was established in partnership with the Gateway Homeless Coalition. Initially supported by a one-year pilot grant from the UK Center for Appalachian Research in Environmental Sciences (UK-CARES), the clinic has since grown into a sustainable initiative providing essential care to some of the region’s most vulnerable populations.
The idea for the CATS Clinic itself was rooted in students’ community experience. In fact, three RPLP graduates — each with deep local ties — helped shape the vision for the clinic and bring it to life. Supported by faculty mentors and community partners, students translated their understanding of local needs into a sustainable clinical model, gaining hands-on leadership experience while meeting critical gaps in care.
Since opening in November 2024, the CATS Clinic has operated weekly on Wednesday evenings from 7–9 p.m., providing free medical care to unhoused and underinsured patients. In that time, clinic volunteers have cared for more than 100 patients and families, who have on average four chronic conditions, reflecting a far higher burden of illness than the national population. Caring for patients with complex medical needs offers students early exposure to the realities of rural and underserved medicine, reinforcing clinical reasoning, teamwork, and continuity of care, which are essential skills for their future practice.
In addition to on-site evaluation and diagnostics, the CATS Clinic provides free prescription refills, medical supplies, and next-day primary care referrals. Bradley Firchow, a fourth-year medical student and clinic manager, said the clinic has had an impact beyond traditional clinical care.
“Some patients just want to talk,” Firchow said. “While we’re managing medications or checking vitals, the conversations themselves are often the most healing part.”
Alison Marcum, a fourth-year medical student and fellow clinic manager, echoed the importance of the experience, both for patients and students in training. “Our patients deserve the same care as anyone else,” Marcum said. “Being able to provide that kind of care during medical school has been incredibly meaningful.”
The CATS Clinic continues to operate through residual support from the UK-CARES grant, the UK St. Claire Foundation and UK St. Claire Pharmacy, allowing it to offer care regardless of class, insurance or income. Currently, the clinic serves residents of the Gateway Homeless Coalition and its transitional housing program, but student leaders hope to expand to additional locations and, eventually, to more members of the community. Students are also sharing lessons learned more broadly, publishing their findings in the Journal of Appalachian Health and presenting at the American Academy of Family Physicians national conference.
For Rebecca Todd, MD, RPLP associate dean and associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology, the clinic exemplifies the mission of the RPLP and the long-term impact of investing in rural medical education.
The RPLP, which launched in 2009 with support from regional partners UK St. Claire and Morehead State University, trains future physicians to deliver compassionate, community-centered care in rural settings. Each year, up to 15 students are accepted into the program, completing their first two years of medical school in Lexington before moving to Morehead for hands-on clinical training at UK St. Claire and with providers throughout northeastern Kentucky.
“I hope the RPLP continues to recruit wonderful students,” said Dr. Todd. “When you take students from rural communities and train them to be physicians, they often want to go back and practice where they are most needed.”
To date, the RPLP has graduated more than 120 physicians, with roughly two-thirds remaining in Kentucky to practice medicine. Many have returned to the rural communities they once called home, exemplifying the college’s mission to improve health care across Kentucky.