Med Students Provide Health Screenings for Back to School
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Med Students Provide Health Screenings for Back to School


August 27, 2021

PCOM medical students volunteered with local organizations to prepare Philadelphia children for back-to-schoolPCOM faculty and students assisted local organizations to provide health screenings and prepare children for the upcoming school year.


Recently, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) partnered with local organizations to prepare school-aged children for the upcoming school year. These events, held on Friday, August 20, and Saturday, August 21, included free health screenings and school supplies for guests in attendance.

PCOM Hearts student-run clinic partnered with Ward Emmanuel AME Church in Philadelphia, PA.Friday’s event was hosted in partnership with Methodist Services, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Methodist Services aims to provide life-enriching services to children, adults and families as they face the challenges of limited resources, increased poverty and homelessness, disability, inequities in education and behavioral health services.

Saturday’s event was hosted in partnership with the Ward Emmanuel AME Church, also located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This event was led by the PCOM Hearts student-run clinic and included live music, free food and backpacks filled with school supplies for school-aged children. This event also offered guests 12 years of age and older the opportunity to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. PCOM Hearts manager, Rachel Caulkins (DO ‘24) shared “We are excited to work with the Ward Emmanuel AME Church and look forward to sending the kids off into a new school year.” Other PCOM Hearts managers include Seth Borochaner (DO ‘24), Pankhuri Walia (DO ‘24) and Shuchi Sehgal (DO ‘24).

PCOM Hearts aims to provide free health care to underserved populations in PhillyPCOM Hearts aims to provide free health care to underserved populations in Philadelphia with an emphasis on advocacy and education. Partnering with Main Line Health and SunRay Drugs PCOM Hearts volunteers have administered over 5,000 vaccines since April of 2021. They aim to continue these efforts and expand the services offered to community members while providing a teaching experience for students.

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.

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  • About Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine

    For the past 125 years, 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, a private, not-for-profit accredited institution of higher education, 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. The college also offers graduate degrees in applied behavior analysis, applied positive psychology, biomedical sciences, forensic medicine, medical laboratory science, mental health counseling, physician assistant studies, and school psychology. 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.

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