VCOM - Carolinas 2018 Yearbook

HCMO Hispanic Community Medical Outreach Jackeline Chaparro Lorenzo, President; Dylan Klee, Vice President; Valentina Del Signore, Secretary; Harnishkumar Patel, Treasurer; Krysten Hinton, Merchandise Chair

T he Hispanic Community Medical Outreach (HCMO) organization at the VCOM-Carolinas Campus is dedicated to improving wellness amongst Spartanburg’s Hispanic community through educational programs and health care accessibility. The group’s medical outreach initiatives involve health screenings and osteopathic treatment for the Hispanic population of Spartanburg and surrounding areas.  In addition to community outreach activities, HCMO promotes cultural awareness by organizing informative social events. HCMO is dedicated to improving the Spanish language skills of the VCOM student population, as well as encouraging involvement and preparation for medical mission trips to Spanish-speaking countries.

HCMO also took part in VCOM’s Annual Pediatric Wellness fair, helping with the event and offering Spanish interpretation when necessary. HCMO members will provide interpretation service during the SOIMA’s Adult Health Fair in the spring. This year, the organization teamed up with SNMA and held a social event to welcome the incoming class. During the month of wellness, HCMO partnered with SNMA and IMA to hold a social event to promote mental health awareness as well as foster diversity in our school. In the spring of 2018, HCMO hosted a discussion led by Doralyn Jones, DO on how to best approach a Spanish-speaking patient and the appropriate way to interact with interpreters, as a way to further

HCMO has continued hosting Spanish classes for students interested in learning medical Spanish. Lessons are geared to introductory-level Spanish based on the organ systems and Standardized Patient interviews, in addition to improving conversational fluency. Students found this helpful in preparation for medical outreach trips to Spanish-speaking countries. Additionally, in helping prepare for the mission trips, HCMO worked to collect donations for the children and patients at VCOM’s medical sites abroad. Throughout the school year, HCMO teamed up with SOIMA to increase Hispanic patient participation at St. Matthew’s Free Clinic, as well as helped interpret for Spanish-speaking patients during this monthly event.

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