Students take the pulse of SFO taxi drivers

Last month, members of the Stanford South Asian Preventive Health Outreach Program (SAPHOP) spent a day at San Francisco International Airport providing free health screenings for taxi drivers. They screened more than 100 people, representing a wide range of nationalities.

For many of the “patients,” it had been so long since they had seen a doctor that they were unable to answer questions about such health conditions as high cholesterol, diabetes or high blood pressure.

“I think one of the things that made this airport screening so successful was the immense need that existed to provide health services for taxi drivers,” MUTHU ALAGAPPAN, president of SAPHOP, wrote in an email. “This population has been routinely excluded or even forgotten about in health coverage, and many of the drivers we tested hadn’t seen a physician in years.”

Alagappan, who will be a junior in the fall, noted that the taxi drivers work 12-hour shifts, which disrupt their sleep patterns and contribute to their stress levels. The sedentary occupation also contributes to deep vein thrombosis and other circulation problems. Add to that the heavy lifting of luggage, which causes back problems and other muscle strains.

The SAPHOP team included two medical students, a physician assistant, a grad student and five undergraduates.

“We have been interested in serving this population for a while, and hope to continue in our efforts in the future,” Alagappan said.