Greater than 70 college students and college in Mercer’s College of Health Professions joined collectively lately to offer quite a lot of providers and care to people experiencing homelessness in Atlanta.
The Mercerians volunteered for the annual Health Day hosted by Atlanta-based nonprofit Lazarus on Sept. 18 at North Avenue Presbyterian Church.
Mercer’s physician assistant studies program has been concerned within the occasion since 2015, however this was the primary time it was an interprofessional expertise with individuals from a number of packages within the Faculty of Well being Professions, mentioned Dr.
Jill Mattingly, chair and scientific affiliate professor within the Division of Doctor Assistant Research.
In complete, greater than 50 doctor assistant college students, seven public health college students, six physical therapy college students, two clinical psychology college students and eight college members assisted with Well being Day, mentioned Erin Lepp, scientific affiliate professor, coordinator of doctor assistant neighborhood engagement, and medical staff lead for the occasion.
In keeping with a 2020 report from Atlanta nonprofit Companions for Residence, there are roughly 3,200 homeless folks inside Atlanta’s 130-square-mile space.
Greater than 900 of these are unsheltered and sleeping on the road or in automobiles.
Every year, Well being Day goals to achieve a few of these people and supply much-needed medical providers. “We're so grateful for our partnership with Mercer and their excessive stage of involvement offering high quality medical consideration, whereas additionally caring for these people and the conditions they're at the moment going through,” mentioned Johnny Winkle, government director of Lazarus. “One among my favourite issues from the occasion was seeing so many medical college students and professionals from a number of hospitals and universities collaborate all through the day to diagnose and deal with every visitor, and that may be a direct results of the exhausting work that Erin Lepp and Dr.
Mattingly did to coordinate a team-based method.” With the help of many neighborhood companions, attendees acquired hygiene kits and boxed lunches and had the chance to bathe, get haircuts, and make the most of different providers and sources, Lepp mentioned.
Mercer doctor assistant college students obtained medical histories and carried out exams.
Below the steering of school, they developed a plan and offered therapy, mentioned Kerri Garcia, a scholar in this system.
Garcia mentioned it was her first time doing this type of work outdoors of the classroom, and it was actually impactful to assist folks in the neighborhood.
Bodily remedy college students offered diabetic foot screenings, whereas a associate company did foot upkeep and wound care, Lepp mentioned. “Our college students are very all for service actions in the neighborhood,” mentioned Dr.
Jeannette Anderson, chair and scientific affiliate professor within the Division of Bodily Remedy.
This match into that functionality to serve the neighborhood in want in addition to apply their bodily remedy abilities.
It additionally allowed them to work together with different people within the faculty.” Public well being college students carried out a neighborhood wants evaluation that analyzed the performance of the occasion and recognized areas for enchancment and providers that could possibly be added sooner or later, mentioned Dr.
Cheryl Gaddis, chair and affiliate professor of apply and Grasp of Public Well being program director.
They talked with neighborhood members about their wants and experiences.
The hope is that the info gathered will assist inform what providers and sources are supplied at future occasions and improve their worth.
Kylie Copeland, a scholar within the mixed physical therapy/public health program, mentioned the evaluation is about giving a voice to folks and ensuring they're getting essentially the most related providers for his or her well being care. “For college kids to be out in the neighborhood and on web site was an amazing reward for them,” Dr.
Gaddis mentioned. “I’m a agency believer that our college students be taught greatest once they’re capable of apply what they’re studying, and this was an amazing alternative for them to have the ability to try this.” Scientific psychology doctoral scholar Kallie Liming mentioned she carried out a well being questionnaire with attendees that gauged their general psychological well being.
She mentioned the evaluation was structured extra like a dialog, and she or he acted as “an open ear as effectively, listening to the hardships, boundaries and future plans that people have been going by.” “It offered loads of humility, and it offered some perception into some deficits that the psych area has,” Liming mentioned. “Having this expertise helped me develop into extra versatile and have information of what it seems wish to work with people going through a mess of (challenges).” As a psychologist in coaching, having the chance to work with people within the bodily remedy, doctor assistant and public well being disciplines was proper according to Liming’s profession mission and targets.
Via service-learning curricula, the Faculty of Well being Professions strives to get college students out of the classroom and into the neighborhood, Lepp mentioned.
Well being Day was a chief instance of that in addition to the Faculty’s concentrate on interprofessional training, often known as IPE. “(IPE) is what helps well being care operate at its greatest,” Dr.
Anderson mentioned. “We’re a part of a staff.
No career is an island in well being care.
The affected person all the time does higher when a number of professions are on the desk to take care of their wants.” The Faculty participates in interprofessional training occasions each fall and spring that brings collectively 400-500 college students from Mercer’s well being sciences packages, and outreach occasions like Lazarus Well being Day provide further alternatives for college students to work collectively and with different well being professionals, Lepp mentioned. “The IPE mannequin works and could be very impactful,” Lepp mentioned. “The explanation I got here to Mercer was to have the ability to do that.
It’s like a dream come true to conceptualize issues for college students and do them.
That pleasure and that zeal for service was ignited throughout this occasion.” Throughout Well being Day, college students noticed how different disciplines serve shoppers and discovered work in an expert staff out in the neighborhood, Dr.
Gaddis mentioned. “Everybody was capable of play their function and make an affect on the affected person,” Garcia mentioned. “That was one of many predominant issues I’ll take away, leaning on everybody to do their greatest job and produce the perfect final result for the affected person.” She mentioned the occasion snapped her out of the grind of checks and learning and reminded her why the academic path she’s on is so vital. “Seeing totally different folks have their wants met was a extremely enriching expertise to be part of, and I bought to see what it seems wish to run a service day,” Copeland mentioned. “I believe it’s actually superior that Mercer is ready to present these occasions the place we get to do interprofessional collaboration to offer these providers.
I believe it’s one of many issues that makes Mercer actually particular.” The occasion additionally demonstrated a “real-time mannequin of well being care supply” to susceptible sufferers, Lepp mentioned. “You possibly can discuss that in a lecture, however if you take college students with you and you take care of folks experiencing these issues, it’s a lot extra impactful … and one thing they'll carry with them into their career,” she mentioned.
It additionally confirmed college students how they are often servant-leaders and provides again to their neighborhood, no matter the place they go on to apply, Lepp mentioned.
The Faculty of Well being Professions is in search of extra alternatives to offer hands-on well being outreach, Dr.
Mattingly mentioned. “The Faculty of Well being Professions was capable of provide that fantastic wheel of care: bodily remedy, doctor assistant, public well being and scientific psychology all working collectively.
What it has is a tremendous multi-pronged method to caring for the underserved,” Dr.
Mattingly mentioned. “(The occasion was) an effective way to come back out of the shadow of the pandemic and begin to serve the neighborhood once more.
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