Better Health Happens Together
Over the past few months, we’ve had the privilege to come alongside others who are doing good in Clarkston. Most of these organizations have been serving this community for awhile, so we were thrilled and humbled to serve alongside them. We are grateful for the unique role we’ve been able to play in giving medical volunteers an opportunity to serve in Clarkston.
Here are some highlights of recent community partnerships and events:
Refuge Coffee Run
We partnered with Refuge Coffee at the 4th annual 5K run by overseeing the medical tent. Several students from Emory Medical School helped us staff the tent, along with our physicians. Thankfully, there were no major injuries- though we were ready for them!
Clarkston Culture Fest
We joined in the fun of Clarkston Culture Fest with a booth to provide basic health screenings. SEND Relief helped make the event a success by providing a wonderful mobile medical unit for our use. Grace Village Clinic and Physician assistant (PA) students from the Mercer University's PA program helped also.
We had opportunity to meet many families thanks in part to our creative teammate, Jennifer, who made our booth one of the most popular among the kids. Everyone wanted their own "painted bandaid."
Spring Garden Party
Special thanks to Global Growers, Friends of Refugees, International Rescue Committee, and Fresh Harvest, for putting together the 1st annual Spring Garden Party which was held at the 40 Oaks Nature Preserves in Clarkston. Many of our refugee friends came by for a morning full of fun, nature walks, gardening tips, and health screenings. Medical students from Morehouse Medical School along with other medical volunteers helped us head up the health screenings component of the event. We also distributed health education information.
Toccoa Falls College Nursing Student Visit
Clarkston International Bible Church helped us recruit 20 nursing students from Toccoa Falls College to lead a health seminar with both a Burmese and Congolese group. We covered teaching on topics such as dental and hand hygiene, gastrointestinal issues, depression, and more. The nursing students helped us build further connections in the community by going on medical home visits with us coordinated by World Relief Atlanta. We visited one family who has only been in the US for 1 month! We were able to teach their 5 children proper dental hygiene and welcome them to this community.
Although we have enjoyed being a part of these events which provide health screenings, we are routinely met with questions from the community regarding where they can go for regular medical care. Our desire to care for our friends’ needs consistently through a neighbor-centered clinic has deepened as we participate in these events. Would you consider joining us in opening our doors, right in the heart of Clarkston?
