Sept. 24, 20224
Doctors Making a Difference: Carrie Horwitch, MD
For Carrie Horwitch, MD, MPH, her work across a 30-year career in medicine to improve both patient health and the well-being of physicians and practitioners takes many forms: As an internal medicine physician specializing in transgender health and HIV care; as a Certified Laughter Leader using laughter techniques to improve health through her business Laugh Doctor LLC; and as a volunteer for the MAVEN Project, which connects physicians and clinicians at safety-net clinics with expert physician volunteers for medical advice, mentorship, and education. She talked with WSMA Reports about her volunteer work at the MAVEN Project and how the extra support for primary care physicians and practitioners can help reduce burnout and improve care for patients in underserved communities.
WSMA Reports: How long have you been volunteering with the MAVEN Project, and can you tell readers about what your work entails?
Dr. Horwitch: I started volunteering with MAVEN Project in June 2022. The MAVEN Project supports safety-net clinics and their patients by connecting their physicians and practitioners with specialists in medicine, including adult and pediatric specialties. Most of this work is done virtually on their HIPAA- compliant telehealth platform. They have several areas of support for the clinics and practitioners including email and video consults, 1:1 clinical mentoring and leadership coaching, and free CME through lectures given by MAVEN Project volunteers. There are currently 63 sites across Washington state partnering with the MAVEN Project.
What was it about the project's model that drew you to it as an avenue for volunteering?
Some of the main attractions for me to work with the MAVEN Project were the diversity of volunteer opportunities, including consulting, mentoring, and giving didactic presentations. I also loved the idea that I was helping clinicians in resource-limited areas and clinics to serve their patients better. I have always been a believer that when doing volunteer work, I would like it to be a sustainable model. I feel the MAVEN Project is able to accomplish this as we focus on building knowledge and skills of the clinicians in these community clinics.
What are some of the most significant challenges that the primary care physicians you consult with face in their practices, and how does access to MAVEN's volunteer physicians help them to provide better patient care?
There are several challenges these clinicians and clinics encounter on a daily basis. One is there are not enough practitioners in primary care, especially in under-resourced safety-net clinics. Another is that many of the patients have complex conditions and do not have access in their communities to specialty care (including general internal medicine and pediatrics). The MAVEN Project provides specialty expertise to the clinicians on specific cases or a general approach to different conditions patients may have (such as HIV or diabetes). Offering continuing education and support for the clinicians positively impacts the care their patients receive.
In addition, some of the mentoring can focus on the well-being of the clinician, an important component of reducing burnout. It can also help develop an approach to quality improvement projects for their clinics.
Has your volunteer experience changed the way you provide care to your own patients?
The volunteer experience reminds me that there are a large number of people in our country facing many barriers to accessing primary and comprehensive care. Working with mentees on the challenges they face with their patients and the resource limitations helps me to consider my patients' struggles. It also energizes me to continue advocacy work to better our health care system for patients and caregivers.
What has been the most fulfilling aspect of your work with the MAVEN Project?
As a "later" career physician, I am so grateful that I am volunteering with MAVEN Project. It allows me to continue to give back to diverse communities using my knowledge and skills from over 30 years as an internal medicine physician. Working with my mentees and seeing their growth and confidence build over time is very rewarding.
If you want to refer a community health center partner or inquire about select volunteer opportunities go to mavenproject.org.
This article was featured in the September/October 2024 issue of WSMA Reports, WSMA's print magazine.