CHCS - Perspectives Winter/Spring 2016

COLLEGE OF HEALTH CARE SCIENCES • 9 Student Affairs N SU College of Health Care Sciences’ students are making a valuable difference in their communities. Last year, they raised more than $4,000 for local charities, contributed nearly 3,000 hours of community service, served more than 3,000 individuals, and donated more than 300 pounds of food and clothing to local homeless and special-needs shelters. The students are not just positively impacting those whom they serve; they are also developing their leadership skills, building their moral muscles, and expanding their capacity for compassion. One example of the many outstand- ing community-service initiatives led by CHCS student leaders is Project SEED (Serving Everyone and Embracing Diversity). Every year in November, Fort Myers physician assistant (PA) students and faculty members go to Immokalee, Florida, to serve the migrant workers and others in the city. Throughout the year, students work with local organizations to secure donations for items such as protective eyeglasses, bicycles for transportation, books, and clothing. Every year, residents anxiously await the team’s arrival. Nursing students joined the PA team, and this interprofessional team of faculty members and students provided free education on dental health, blood pressure, blood sugar, and nutrition. At the end of the day, every adult and child who attended walked away empowered to improve and main- tain good health, while many went home with new clothes, books, and/ or a new bicycle. For more information about the community-service initiatives led by CHCS student leaders, visit www.healthsciences.nova.edu /studentaffairs/success/index.html . ■ CHCS Students Positively Impact the Community NSU Fort Myers physician assistant students provide health care screenings to Immokalee residents. Members of the NSU Interprofessional Diabetes Education and Awareness team provide diabetes education at the American Diabetes Association Walk for the Cure.