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A primary care clinic for the documentation and treatment of human rights abuses

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Conclusions

The medical consequences of human rights abuses are an unrecognized dimension of America’s urban health care needs. In the first 2 years of the Human Rights Clinic’s work, primary care physicians have concentrated on providing documentation assistance as well as delivering clinical services. This approach reflects the conviction that such activities serve legitimate health prevention and treatment needs, and can be effectively carried out by medical generalists. The incorporation of a clinical service for torture survivors into a primary care internal medicine residency program represents, in our view, a constructive contribution to an evolving clinical field. It is our hope that the Human Rights Clinic will function as a useful model for health professionals in large urban areas.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 111 East 210th St., 10467, Bronx, NY

    Douglas Shenson MD, MPH (Assistant Professor)

Authors
  1. Douglas Shenson MD, MPH
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Additional information

Received from the Human Rights Clinic, Bronx, NY.

Dr. Shenson is Director of the Human Rights Clinic.

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Shenson, D. A primary care clinic for the documentation and treatment of human rights abuses. J Gen Intern Med 11, 533–538 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02599600

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02599600

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