A medical school's involvement in the development of a community-based health center

This paper presents a planning model developed by the Department of Community Medicine of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine to facilitate the interactions between the medical school and the community. The planning process involved application of the model, exemplified through the growth and development of a neighborhood health center governed by a community agency. The main characteristics of the medical school, of the community, and of the community agency are presented briefly and the seven-year history of the development of the neighborhood health center is summarized. In recapitulating that history three distinct phases are identified in the planning process: how the planning was planned, how the plan was prepared, and how the services program was implemented. The role of the Department of Community Medicine in each phase is analyzed.