How Solidarity Outpatient Clinics Helped Combat Health Disparities During the Global Economic Crisis and the COVID-19 Pandemic:
Lessons from Greece
Co-PIs: Matthew Matsaganis, Maria Petraki
We investigate the multiple ways in which solidarity outpatient clinics (SOCs)–a type of grassroots organization that emerged in Greece during a decade-long economic crisis–helped socioeconomically disadvantaged populations address pressing health needs and provided social support during the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic. We also examine the role of communication as a social process through which SOCs established themselves as critical community health resources. Finally, we study SOCs as potential models of patient-centered communication and care delivery. The project is built on socio-ecological theoretical approaches to communication and public health and relies on a case-study approach employing a mixed-methods research design.