Posta las lilas: A model of integral commitment to the community

The Posta Sanitaria Las Lilas (La Posta) is a health promotion project of the medical school. Its purpose is to improve the health of individuals and the society by fostering qualitative changes in people's attitudes and habits in relation to every aspect of their health. The project serves a population of 25,000 inhabitants that live in conditions of vulnerability and poverty. It is based on a specific approach to social commitment and accountability that integrates teaching, research, and care with the whole community.

The project activities are oriented toward key dimensions for each person and the community. There are two programs: health and education that involve physicians, students, residents, teachers, volunteers, and community members.

The project has increased the number of medical appointments, medical records, and workshop participants. It is difficult to establish objective indicators that may reflect the changes in the life of the community members. In this article, findings of an impact evaluation study are presented. We also describe unexpected results for those who participated in the project.

La Posta is part of the University's agenda and a place of meaningful and formative learning. All program activities are implemented with the support and resources of the institution. A network of various organizations cooperates with La Posta in order to help promote the welfare of the community. They are all committed to contributing to the development of project participants' personal resources rather than merely addressing their unmet needs. This requires thinking about people in all dimensions (biological, psychological, social, and spiritual).