VCOM 2022 Annual Report

Reaching Out to Our Home Communities (continued)

Louisiana Outreach Stop the Spread — Second-year VCOM Louisiana students participated in an open house event at the Medical Office of Mangham in August. During the event, students administered COVID-19 and other vaccinations to community members who attended the open house. They also provided health-related information and offered heart, lung and blood pressure screenings, COVID-19 vaccination efforts and medical outreach to the local community. Fall Bash — Several of the student organizations sent volunteers to assist with the annual MedCamps Fall Bash for Halloween. MedCamps, a nonprofit organization providing opportunities for people living with chronic illnesses and disabilities, hosts the event annually at their camping facility. VCOM Louisiana students ran carnival games, provided treats and assisted with other family friendly activities. Blood Drives — VCOM-Louisiana hosted blood drives during Blocks 2 and 4, providing students, faculty and staff the opportunity to give blood to local medical facilities in need. There was a total of 106 donors between the two drives. Back to School — Members of the American College of Osteopathic Pediatricians (ACOP) student organization hosted a school supply donation drive at the beginning of August. Faculty, staff and students provided enough supplies that donations were able to be made at two locations in Monroe, Louisiana: Crosley Elementary School and the Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home.

Heart Walk — Students joined the Northeast Louisiana American Heart Association Walk in Monroe to raise funds to fight America’s #1 and #5 killers: heart disease and stroke. The VCOM Louisiana team won awards for most walkers on a team and best t-shirt design. Community Give-Back — VCOM-Louisiana’s medical students volunteered at the 31st Annual Ronald McDonald House Big Bass Tournament and Ujima Center Summer Wellness Festival in Monroe. The Ujima Center provides free wellness services to the community. Sip & Wrap — The American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) and American College of Osteopathic Obstetricians & Gynecologists (ACOOG) student organizations collected donations for Life Choices, a nonprofit prenatal clinic in Monroe. Their members then gathered to sip hot chocolate and wrap the donations into customized holiday gifts. The gifts included maternity clothes, baby toys, diapers, wipes and other essential items, which were then distributed by Life Choices to the mothers in need who visited their clinic. Spanish for Doctors — The VCOM-Louisiana chapter of the Hispanic Medical Outreach Program (HCMO) hosted Spanish medical terminology sessions for students, which focused on Spanish language skills for future doctors to apply in the healthcare field. HCMO is dedicated to providing resources for their fellow students, extending their knowledge and becoming more diverse and culturally aware.

More than

volunteer hours were logged by VCOM-Louisiana students during the 2021-2022 academic year.

68