Linking the university with the community and its health system

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Abstract
Over many years Latin American universities have operated 'extension projects' in their surrounding communities. These projects, in health professions schools, frequently involved the establishment of community-based health centres operated by the university. Since the early 1970s, a large number of health professions schools entered into agreements with local or regional health systems for the operation of projects of 'articulation of teaching and services' in well-defined geographic areas. The primary health care strategy emphasized by WHO and actively promoted by national governments since the Alma Ata Declaration of 1978 led to a worldwide movement toward effective 'community participation' in each own local health system. An assessment of these initiatives, involving three types of paired relationships (university-community; university-local health system; local health system-community) provided the idea and the experiential basis for an innovative programme bringing the three partners together in a joint effort. Program UNT was set up and now includes 23 projects which are partially supported by the Kellogg Foundation. They all share a common set of ideas and ideals, emanating from the Alma Ata and Edinburgh Declarations, and are currently being implemented in 11 countries of Latin America.

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