The COP was developed by the students at KUMC to place Health Professions, Nursing and Graduate students in community-based internships in Wyandotte County during the fall and spring semesters. On September 1, 1995, the first COP applications were made available to all full-time KUMC students in good academic standing in the schools of Nursing, Allied Health, and Graduate Studies. Interns are permitted to select any Wyandotte County agency in need of volunteer assistance. Due to the array of agencies chosen, individual activities greatly vary.

Since its inception, the COP has continued to be a positive program for the community and the University. This program provides community involvement and leadership training that would otherwise not be available to students, and, in return, allows the University to increase the availability of health care education to undeserved populations of diverse backgrounds within its community of Wyandotte County.