This Doctor Wants to Reach Patients Before Their Conditions Become Critical
By the time patients in the ICU see Dr. Jason Morrow, it’s too late to make lifestyle changes that will have a long-term impact on their health. An associate professor at UT Health San Antonio who is board certified in internal medicine and hospice/palliative medicine, Morrow is consulted when patients and their families at University Hospital are making tough decisions about end-of-life care. “I feel most useful when I’m in the ICU helping people with life and death decisions,” says Morrow, who is also the associate director for ethics education at the Center for Medical Humanities & Ethics.
Palliative care will always be necessary, Morrow says. But, he wants to also help create systemic change so fewer people are reaching that stage because of preventable conditions. That’s where a new health equity track in UT Health’s Center for Medical Humanities & Ethics comes in.
Founded by Morrow and Dr. Elena Jiménez Gutiérrez, the program pairs internal medicine residents with WellMed Supportive Care Team, Street Medicine San Antonio, the Refugee Health Clinic, Alpha Home and others to learn how to serve people outside the walls of a hospital or office. With WellMed, residents accompany doctors who are conducting home visits. While there, they work with patients to identify any barriers to their care or treatment plan, from the transportation and finances needed to pick up their prescriptions to an eating plan that will complement their condition. Too often, Morrow says, a patient is prescribed blood pressure meds but then goes home to a cabinet with high-sodium foods or pre-existing prescriptions that interfere with their new drug. Through other partnerships, residents are learning to provide care where people are at, whether homeless individuals or women who have not had regular access to preventative care.
“I’m confident that this is going to inspire change locally,” he says.
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