Integrating Social Work into Primary Care Brings Resources to Patients
The McLaren Greater Lansing Multispecialty Clinic distinguishes itself by offering internal medicine and gynecology (OB/GYN) services for adults in a team-based approach through a resident-physician program. Through this model, patients have access to a wide range of primary and preventative care services.
This year, the Multispecialty Clinic expanded their services through a collaboration with Michigan State University (MSU) College of Social Sciences, providing its patients with additional assistance to resources available within the community. Greta Maes, a senior at MSU, has been interning at the Multispecialty Clinic since late August and has received hands-on experience through shadowing various positions throughout the clinic, as well as working directly with the residents and attending physicians and their patients.
“With the addition of Greta, we really found there are gaps in our patients’ care that could be filled by her services,” said Dr. Stephanie Baukus, attending physician at McLaren Greater Lansing Multispecialty Clinic. “Oftentimes, we are seeing patients and treating them for their health care concerns, but having this additional resource helped us understand the needs of the patient that goes beyond just their physical health.”
This includes support for patients who may need financial resources, transportation to get them to and from their appointments, mental health support, food assistance, and housing.
“Through detailed discussions with patients, we’ve been able to create individualized plans and resources specifically for that patient so there has been no limit to what kind of support I can provide,” said Greta.
“Greta has been an integral part of the team identifying specific patients who could benefit from her services and our resident physicians have learned to ask certain questions to patients and get to know some of the barriers they may be facing,” said Dr. Baukus. “For patients, it has allowed them to share more information with their care team that they previously didn’t feel was important to discuss. For example, not being able to pick up their medications in time due to transportation difficulties. Knowing this information and getting them the right resources supports their overall well-being.”
While the Multispecialty Clinic had not previously had a social work internship program with MSU before, seeing the added value it has brought to the clinic has made Dr. Baukus excited to continue developing and expanding the program to allow more social work students to build their skills at the clinic.
Greta will be graduating this spring with her bachelor’s degree in social work and plans to continue her education through a master’s program.
“It’s been a really great experience and has given me a lot of understanding of a wide range of patient demographics and needs of our community that will help further develop my career path,” said Greta.
The Multispecialty Clinic sees adult patients and can treat complex medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, COPD, orthopedic issues, heart disease, asthma, depression and others. The clinic also cares for pregnant patients from their initial visit through delivery, with residents and attending physicians who are experienced in working with high-risk patients. To learn more about the McLaren Greater Lansing Multispecialty Clinic, or to schedule an appointment, click here.
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