Implementing community-oriented primary care projects in an urban family practice residency program

Background: Clinics interested in pursuing community-oriented primary care (COPC) have struggled with the implementation of its theory. Although we ar e still early in the COPC transformation process, the HealthPartners Family Practice Residency Program has had several successful COPC pr-ejects durin g our 10 years of experience. This article describes these projects and the 8 lessons learned, including some that differ from traditional COPC teachi ng and practice. In our experience, clinics should select a topic or proble m that creates a passion within their clinic. Projects can start small with in the clinic and expand outward into larger portions of the urban communit y. Partnerships begin the process of extending into the community and incre asing the project's impact. The evaluation of projects should begin with cl inic-based data. A physician champion and a nonphysician staff person incre ase the success of the project. Resident involvement is enhanced with concr ete tasks and community connections. Ultimately, the project needs to be in stitutionalized within the clinic to survive. The whole COPC endeavor is a long, slow process that requires time, energy, and committed individuals. I n our experience, COPC is a journey, not an end, and there are many rich re wards to be found along the way.