Students from the College of Medicine and College of Pharmacy took some time from their studies to provide service in the community.
Seventy NEOMED students from 15 campus organizations volunteered at a health fair at St. Bernard Parish in Akron on Feb. 1.
The students were joined by NEOMED faculty and physician supervisors from Summa Health, Cleveland Clinic, Akron Children’s Hospital, AxessPointe and Salem Regional Medical Center. Nurses from CCAG Cancer Prevention Outreach also volunteered.
Volunteers served 35 patients in a clinical room, offering vitals checks, physical exams, glucose and cholesterol checks with ASCVD risk score calculation and vision testing. Pharmacy students and a pharmacist supervisor also provided medication counseling.
In addition to clinical services, students and community organizations offered patient education materials and activities.
“The church hosted a celebration in the basement after mass as well, so the basement was full of energy, with at least 100 patrons eating, talking and walking around to each of the patient education tables,” noted Abigail Schwenk, second-year medical student who helped organize the health fair. “We hope in the coming years, students from the Bitonte College of Dentistry will be able to participate, as there was some need for dental services/consultation at the health fair.”
In addition to the health providers listed above, several community organizations participated in person or by sharing materials, including PortagePath, Akron-Canton Regional Food Bank, Akron Area Interfaith Council, Proyecto Raices, Open-M, Faithful Servants, ACLU and the Summit County Dept of Job & Family Services.
“We’d like to extend an extra thank you to the Akron Area Interfaith Council for donating the funds to purchase a cholesterol meter, allowing us to offer a point-of-care lipid panel and ASCVD risk score calculation,” Schwenk said.
The following NEOMED student organizations participated:
Latino Medical Student Association, American College of Physicians – Internal Medicine Interest Group, Global Health Interest Group, American Academy of Family Physicians-Family Medicine Interest Group, Emergency Medicine Interest Group, Ophthalmology Interest Group (Students for Sight), Student National Pharmaceutical Association, NEOMED Free Clinic, American Academy of Neurology-Student Interest Group in Neurology, Psychiatry Interest Group, Obstetrics and Gynecology Interest Group, Infectious Disease Interest Group, American Academy of Pediatrics – Pediatric Action Club, Oncology Interest Group, and the NEOvations Bench to Bedside Program.
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Read: NEOMED students work health clinic at Akron church in the Akron Beacon Journal