Community Oriented Primary Care (COPC) Curriculum

Purpose

The Community Oriented Primary Care (COPC) curriculum was developed to inform trainees at educational health centers about the basic tenets of COPC and provide tools for students to understand how to set up and manage COPC implementations in their communities. Resources include slides and note sets; pre-activity and case study modules with sample data; walkthroughs of online geographic information systems (GIS) tools with sample data; and resource guides.

Funding

This project was funded by the National Association of Community Health Centers through their Cooperative Agreement with the Bureau of Primary Health Care. The curriculum was developed jointly by the Robert Graham Center and the Virginia Commonwealth University, Fairfax Family Medicine Residency Program. The work was guided by an advisory committee made up of COPC experts.

COPC Curriculum

Introduction

Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits are available for completing this curriculum. Please read through the Introduction for a description of the curriculum and CME information.

Activities and Modules

• Pre-Module Activity: This pre-module activity provides information for students in order to get everyone on an equal level before starting the curriculum. The document highlights geographic and data/spreadsheet concepts with which students should be familiar, and provides links to free webinars demonstrating the use of online GIS tools.
• Module 1 - Introduction to COPC: This module presents the history and tenets in an overview format. A separate note set is also available.
• Module 2 - Defining Community: This module explains the importance of community definition for COPC and leads students through an example of community definition for a clinic in Washington, DC. Includes an activity to demonstrate the meaning of community for COPC. A separate note set is also available.
• Module 3 - Identifying Health Problems: This module highlights how COPC teams can work together to identify health problems to address using the COPC model. A separate note set is also available.
• Module 4 - Developing and Monitoring Interventions: This final module through identifying an appropriate intervention for the health problem selected, and how to set up an evaluation framework essential for COPC. A separate note set is also available.
   

COPC How-To Information

• How to Geocode and Extract Data in HealthLandscape: Step-by-step walkthrough of uploading a dataset into HealthLandscape to geocode, and how to extract those geocoded data. A dataset with which students can practice is also available.
• How to Use WebGIS to Add Census Tract Information to Your Dataset: Step-by-step walkthrough of uploading your geocoded dataset into WebGIS to add appropriate census geography information for further analysis. Includes a walkthough of formatting data output in Microsoft Excel for further analysis in HealthLandscape. Students should use their output from the Geocoding How-To for this walkthough, however, a sample dataset is also provided.
• How to Map Thematic Data in HealthLandscape: Step-by-step walkthough of uploading datasets that contain counts of patients or visits by a geography (like census tracts or ZIP Codes) to map and analyze. Students should use their output from the WebGIS How-To for this walkthrough, however, a sample dataset is also provided.
  

COPC Resources for Instructors

• COPC Case Study: This case study walks a student through the entire process of implementing a COPC project, focusing on Good Neighbor Health Center in Houston, Texas. Although Good Neighbor is a real Health Center Program Grantee, the case study is fictional. The case study is designed to be used in a group setting but also can be completed by individuals. Figures and tables referenced in the case study and an Excel dataset are also available.
• Patient Attribute Activity Cards: For use during the community definition game.
   

Online Data Resources and Selected Bibliography

Access online data resources that COPC practitioners can use to characterize need and progress in their communities.

Find literature and recommended reading regarding COPC.