History of Frontera de Salud

Kirk Smith, MD, PhD, at the UT Medical Branch in Galveston, started the Frontera program in 1998 based on the tremendous need for healthcare in underservedpopulations. Frontera now has chapters in four medical school campuses in Texas; UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, UT Houston, Texas A&M and UTMB.

The UTHSCSA chapter of Frontera reaches over 300 patients per year in the colonias of Laredo and Corpus Cristi, and is the first of the Frontera programs to be interdisciplinary in focus.

Tangible Results
Frontera's efforts have helped patients understand health risks related to common south Texas medical problems such as diabetes, and students have made first-time diagnoses of the disease in patients who previously had no access to healthcare. The group refers patients with diagnoses to community physicians who are willing to care for them on an ongoing basis.

Frontera performs sports physicals in both locations, which are important for middle- and high-school students who are required to undergo an exam before they can participate in extracurricular activities. Home visits are especially valuable for the many patients who are elderly and/or disabled and often lack any mode of transportation to bring them to a clinic.