Grassroots initiative helps promote primary care

Grassroots efforts at Harvard Medical School helped lead to the launch of a new center for primary care education, research and delivery, the school recently announced.

The Center for Primary Care was made possible by a $30 million anonymous gift and is the culmination of successful grassroots efforts of students, residents, faculty and clinicians at Harvard who advocated for a reshaping of primary care opportunities at the school. That community went on to form the nonprofit Primary Care Progress, which is building a national grassroots network of advocates who share an interest in developing innovative approaches to care delivery and training. Primary Care Progress pairs medical students with clinical innovators to work together on improving practice, develops local speakers bureaus and encourages clinicians, trainees and patients to share their primary care successes with others via its blog.