COM
munications
9
COM Outlook . Spring 2014
For the past 14 years, the winter semester at NSU has
marked the annual American Medical School Association/
Area Health Education Centers Program (AMSA/AHEC)
Florida Rural Medical Mission for Health and the Annual
Glades REACH Fair.
The REACH Fair, which takes place in the rural and
medically underserved cities of Clewiston and Belle Glade,
is an interdisciplinary endeavor that provides multiple
medical services and gives students the opportunity to
practice skills they have learned under the guidance of
licensed health care providers. Each year, NSU faculty
members and student volunteers from various NSU Health
Professions Division colleges participate in the REACH fair,
providing distinctive sets of valuable services.
A team of dedicated volunteers from the local offices of
the Florida Department of Health raises money to market
REACH Fair Provides Personal
and Professional Enrichment
On December 19, the college coordinated an employee recognition luncheon to
honor those individuals who celebrated significant employee milestones in 2013.
25 Years:
Dr. Cyril Blavo
20 Years:
Reimar Rodriguez and Dr. Mark Sandhouse
15 Years:
Dr. Barbara Arcos, Annette Clarke, Dr. Jennie Q. Lou, Kevin Nugent, Johneta
Goodwin, and Dr. Anthony J. Silvagni
10 Years:
Donna Chase, Mirlyn Hurry, Dr. Naushira Pandya, and Dr. David Thomas
5 Years:
Andrea Adelusi, Dr. Anjali Bhasin, Ewart Blake, Marie Darbouze, Willfel
Escarment, Yasmin Frank, Sona Hromulak, Dr. Robin Jacobs, Maxcine McCalla,
Christine Nelson, Stephanie Perez, Denise Raof, Erica Richardson, Tanisa Roberson,
Nancy Roussell, Irina Rozenfeld, Ambreen Soomro, and Dr. Paula Waziry
the fair throughout the community to ensure
that everyone in need of health care is aware of
the free opportunity. The REACH Fair, which
provides health care as well as education on
healthy living and lifestyle choices, also is a great
opportunity for students to get firsthand experi-
ence practicing rural medicine. The experience
is an eye opener for many medical students who
go on rotations in their third and fourth years.
Interdisciplinary teams of students, under
the supervision of HPD faculty members, offer
services that include glucose and cholesterol
checks, physical therapy, occupational therapy,
bone-density scans, brown-bag education, vision
and hearing screenings, and teen health educa-
tion. The fair’s most important focus is getting
the community to participate and connect the attendees
with a physician they can trust and schedule follow-up ap-
pointments. Many attendees have never been to a physi-
cian for a regular checkup, while others only come once
a year during the REACH Fair. Attending the fair is impor-
tant, especially if a potentially life-threatening pathology is
discovered when a person seeks care.
As the student coordinator who has volunteered at this
event for the last two years, I know the REACH Fair impacts
hundreds of lives each year. Most students in the health
care profession talk about doing medical outreach trips to
countries with underserved populations. The REACH Fair
provides the opportunity to do exactly that in our own
backyard and make an impact right here in South Florida.
Months of hard work by members of my student commit-
tee, by NSU-COM faculty members Debra Steinkohl and Dr.
James Howell, the Department of Health, and many others
helped to organize the REACH Fair. Just one genuine smile
of satisfaction from a REACH Fair attendee makes me want
to do it all over again.
Article written by
OMS-II Chirag Patel
Employee Longevity Recognized at Celebration Luncheon
