Students Support Philly Community at Southwest Health Fair
February 25, 2022Recently, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) students partnered with local organizations to address the healthcare needs and social
determinants of health of the southwest Philadelphia community at the first-ever Southwest
Health Fair at the 48th and Woodland Playground. In partnership with other community
organizations, PCOM osteopathic medical students offered various health services, including HIV screening and prevention,
behavioral health information, dental health outreach, information on vaccines, blood
pressure and glucose screenings, and free produce and pantry staples distribution.
The PCOM student organizers of this inaugural event were Deanna Gorgei (DO '22), Arianna
Gray (DO '24), Raushaun Williams (DO '24) and Maggie Hurley (DO '24). Ms. Gorgei lives
in southwest Philadelphia and currently serves as secretary of the 48th and Woodland
Playground Advisory Council and was instrumental in bringing this event to fruition.
When asked what this event meant to her, Ms. Gorgei shared, “I learned a lot about
what it means to engage in the community and what goes into building relationships
necessary to engage in a meaningful way. It takes a long time and consistently showing
up and engaging to build these relationships. My neighborhood has a long history of
activism and engagement. This is a community where people know each other and look
after each other. I feel really lucky to be involved and to be able to connect resources
from PCOM to this community. With the pandemic, there's been a lack of in-person events,
and I think that we were all so grateful to be able to safely have an in-person event
that brought everyone out in such a positive way.”
PCOM’s Student National Medical Association and Medicine for Education clubs also
contributed time and resources to make the event a success. In addition to the variety
of health screenings that the fair offered, several PCOM organizations and local businesses
donated to the event’s raffle: the raffle included kid’s bikes, grocery store gift
cards and wireless earbuds. Additionally, local elected officials were present to
engage with the community to understand their needs better and connect community members
with resources.
PCOM’s President’s Community Wellness Initiative (CWI) also supported this event with handouts such as tote bags, books for kids, tablecloths,
hand sanitizer, masks, and signs for the event. Flo Byarms, director of the CWI, was also present at the event and connected with the Woodland
Playground Advisory Council. The goal moving forward is to host an event like this
annually.
“I’ll Be the Doctor They Said I’d Never Become”LeeAnn Tanaka, DO '14 - Women in Medicine MonthIf He Won the Lottery, He'd Still Come To Work Every Day
About the Community Wellness Initiative
With a strong commitment to student volunteer efforts and community wellness, PCOM
President and CEO Jay S. Feldstein, DO ‘81, established the Community Wellness Initiative (CWI) to enhance the culture of holistic health and well-being on PCOM’s campuses and in
the communities they serve. The CWI aims to promote cross-campus collaboration in
educational and health services programming and resources to support the physical,
mental, nutritional and environmental wellness of the College’s communities in Philadelphia
and in Suwanee and Moultrie, Georgia. Focus areas include direct patient care, health
and wellness education, and clinical and community-based research.
About Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Founded in 1899, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) has trained thousands
of highly competent, caring physicians, health practitioners and behavioral scientists
who practice a “whole person” approach to care—treating people, not just symptoms.
PCOM operates three campuses (PCOM, PCOM Georgia and PCOM South Georgia) and offers doctoral degrees in clinical psychology, educational psychology, osteopathic
medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy and school psychology, and graduate degrees in
applied behavior analysis, applied positive psychology, biomedical sciences, forensic
medicine, medical laboratory science, mental health counseling, non profit leadership
and population health management, organizational development and leadership, physician
assistant studies, school psychology, and public health management and administration.
PCOM students learn the importance of health promotion, research, education and service
to the community. Through its community-based Healthcare Centers, PCOM provides care
to medically underserved populations. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 215-871-6100.
For more information, contact:
Daniel McCunney
Associate Director, News and Media Relations
Email: danielmc1@pcom.edu
Office: 215-871-6304 | Cell:
267-449-1360