Perspectives Winter/Spring-2017

56 • NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY Physician Assistant ORLANDO On June 12, 2016, Orlando, Florida, was rocked when a shooter attacked the Pulse nightclub. Nearby, at Orlando Regional Medical Cen- ter (OMRC), health care workers were helping patients. The events that unfolded that night forever changed the people working to care for the victims and their families. “A few days after the shooting, I read a Facebook post from a resident physician who was working in the emergency department that night,” said Heidi Lamoreaux, a second-year physician assistant (PA) student at NSU’s Orlando Campus. “He was recounting the tragedy and the effect it had on him and his coworkers. He included a picture of his blood-soaked shoes from the victims of that night. It hit me how deeply affected the health care community was—a commu- nity of which my classmates and I are studying to become a part.” Days later, Lorilee Butler, D.H.Sc., PA-C, program director for the Orlando PA Program, received an email from Elon University in North Carolina asking about how it could help the health care workers at ORMC. She approached the 2017 physician assistant class and asked for volunteers to coordi- nate with Elon University. Lam- oreaux immediately volunteered. “I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of. It was something I could do tangibly to help,” Lam- oreaux said. “We don’t often think about how tragedies like this affect the providers.” She told Butler she wanted to create care packages for the health care workers and shared a few ideas. Lamoreaux then con- tacted the PA program at Elon Uni- versity and implemented her idea. Over the next several weeks, Lam- oreaux coordinated efforts with her classmates and Elon University to gather items for 40 baskets. Stu- dents contacted local and national corporations requesting donations, including various types of gift cards, granola bars, new socks, water bottles, lotions, and other comfort items. Many students included handwritten letters of gratitude to the ORMC staff members. On July 21, Lamoreaux and students from the class of 2017 delivered the care packages to the ORMC Volunteer Services office. The vol- unteer office expressed gratitude on behalf of the hospital staff mem- bers on duty that night and was especially grateful for the attention and personal details included. In the wake of the Pulse tragedy, the College of Health Care Sci- ences is proud to have students like Lamoreaux, who exem- plifies the NSU Core Values of service and community. n Students Make Care Packages for Pulse EMS Providers BY MIRIAM SANTO, CLASS OF 2017 STUDENT