VCOM View Vol 9-1

Alexis Stoner, PhD, MPH, VCOM-Carolinas Director for Preventative Medicine and Public Health in the mobile van.

Mobile Medical Unit Gift Helps VCOM Care for the Community R eGenesis Health Care donated a mobile medical unit to VCOM, a gift that improved the College’s ability to provide care in Spartanburg and throughout the southern Appalachian region. “We were so excited to get this unit out on the streets, making an impact in healthy outcomes for the Spartanburg community,” said Timothy Kowalski, DO, FACN, VCOM-Carolinas Dean. The primary purpose for use of the mobile medical unit will be to further the education of VCOM students and to improve access to healthcare throughout southern Appalachia. This vehicle allows students to gain practical skills under the supervision of VCOM faculty, giving the students a better understanding of patient care and the challenges faced by residents of rural and medically underserved areas.

Lives are shaped by the ways we treat each other. When those with resources, skill, connections and heart come together to dedicate their time to serving those in need, community is created, friendships are formed, healing takes place and ultimately the world is made a better place.

BY LILY KNIGHTS

T hese are the very ideas Medicine (VCOM)-Carolinas Department of Preventative Medicine and Public Health to develop Wellness Initiative for our Neighborhood (WIN), an ongoing collaborative preventative wellness event. WIN provides free public access to an extensive range of health screenings, medical and prescription services, information booths, flu shots and more. The first WIN event was held on October 27, 2017, at the Macedonia Baptist Church in Spartanburg. This bright Friday afternoon marked the debut of the VCOM-Carolinas newly renovated Mobile Medical Unit. The unit has two exam rooms equipped for medical and dental procedures, allowing patients to be treated on location, with dignity and privacy. that inspired the Edward Via College of Osteopathic

public regardless of insurance status, took place indoors and outdoors at the church. Outside, VCOM-Carolinas students and faculty served patients under tents and in the unit. Indoors, more services were offered, including vision screenings and prescription access. Staff and health professions volunteers were on hand to answer questions and provide direction and resources according to patients’ needs. This event also provided free food and transportation assistance. An integral part of the VCOM mission is to meet the needs of medically underserved populations, which is the purpose of WIN. Many of the patients who are served by traveling free clinics, such as the VCOM-Carolinas mobile unit, are low-income residents who often work multiple part-time jobs without insurance options. With such limits on time and resources,

The event, which was free to the

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