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Ekaterina Balsan ’25 is one of 26 student fellows conducting research with a community-based organization in upstate New York this summer as a part of the Upstate Institute Summer Field School.

This summer, I had the wonderful opportunity to work with Community Memorial Hospital (CMH) as a fellow of the Upstate Institute’s Summer Field School. CMH embraces their philosophy “Quality Healthcare Close to Home,” especially as their Family Health Centers (FHCs) provide primary care medical services within the local area.

CMH has FHCs in both Madison and Oneida counties, located in Hamilton, Morrisville, Waterville, Cazenovia, and Munnsville. There are primary care providers at these locations, as well as medical specialties such as cardiology, urology, pulmonology, and general surgery at the Hamilton office. Additionally, CMH offers urgent care hours out of their Hamilton office as a resource for the community and individuals who seek immediate medical care. My project with CMH specifically focused on their FHCs, which offer primary care services. These offices and providers are geared to address the medical needs of their local communities.

My work with CMH and the FHC administration team was to identify methods for streamlining communication and bolstering efficiency as part of the organization’s goal to increase patient access. This primarily involved three key aspects. First, I carried out data analysis for the FHCs’ call center. This involved assessing the number of calls and analyzing data over time. Second, I shadowed four of the FHCs to learn more about their process flows. This was especially interesting as it taught me how important teamwork is in the medical field as well as the multifaceted topics in the healthcare industry. Third, I created feedback questionnaires for FHC departments. These three pieces of my work allowed me to learn much about rural health and primary care medicine, as well as the multiple roles involved in providing care and supporting the communities of upstate New York.

With an interest in health sciences, I learned more about medical care — especially the impact of COVID-19 — and its many nuances in rural areas through this project. Having just finished my first year at �ؾ���, I wanted to participate in the Upstate Institute’s Field School Fellowship program in order to contribute to a local organization and learn more about Hamilton and its surrounding communities. In doing so, I received real-world experience in the healthcare field while working with my community partner. Moreover, I was exposed to the importance of teamwork and collaboration, all geared towards helping patients. CMH is an organization that deeply cares about its community, and I am thankful for the opportunity to have worked with and learned from them.

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