Each year, a Doctor of Chiropractic is chosen to participate in Logan’s Integrated Health Care residency. An extremely competitive program, this position is open to any DC eligible for licensure or with a license in the state of Missouri who has graduated from an accredited chiropractic program and has a passion and desire to work in integrated clinical settings such as community-based health centers and hospitals. Residents rotate through Logan’s multidisciplinary health care partners including Affinia Healthcare, CareSTL Health, the Mercy JFK Clinic and the St. Louis County Department of Health.
Jevinne Khan, DC (’20), Logan’s integrated health care resident for 2021, said she is grateful for the opportunities and experiences she’s had in this role that she would not have been afforded elsewhere.
“I have always had a deep desire to be involved in integrated health care, as I believe it’s one of the most effective ways for myself and other chiropractors to help people,” said Dr. Khan. “Working in these types of settings allows us to reach patient populations that wouldn’t otherwise be able to receive chiropractic care.”
One of Dr. Khan’s rotations was with the St. Louis Regional Health Commission (RHC), an organization committed to improving health care access, health outcomes and health equity in St. Louis. The RHC provides health care coverage to the “safety net” population—a group of underserved and underinsured St. Louisans—through its Gateway to Better Health program. Recently, the RHC expanded this program to include services related to physical function like chiropractic care, occupational therapy and physical therapy.
“A large portion of my three-month rotation with the RHC entailed developing a white paper that documents the implementation of physical function services into community health centers to address the chronic pain epidemic,” Dr. Khan said. “The project details the importance of integrating these services into the primary care model and provides a blueprint so community health centers beyond the St. Louis region can implement them.”
When the paper is complete, Dr. Khan and her team hope to share it with professionals across the country, including national associations in the chiropractic, occupational therapy and physical therapy fields and the Missouri Primary Care Association.
“This exposure is necessary to highlight the importance of providing evidence-based, non-pharmacological treatments for chronic musculoskeletal pain and to promote interdisciplinary collaboration in addressing chronic pain as a public health epidemic,” Dr. Khan said.
Providing these services at primary care clinics may help overcome barriers to care often encountered by underserved populations, as these individuals tend to be disproportionately affected by chronic musculoskeletal pain and are less likely to receive adequate care.
“My experiences as a student and a resident have provided me with a greater appreciation for the complex nature of chronic pain and the social determinants of health that influence its outcomes,” Dr. Khan said. “This residency has helped me become a better health care provider by enhancing my understanding of community health systems and the barriers that exist to access adequate health care and by broadening my knowledge of resources available to complement my work as a chiropractic physician.”