Parents with children playing sports this year took advantage of a free sports physical provided by UB faculty and students at the Seneca Babcock Community Center last Saturday.
The event was jointly organized by UB’s Lighthouse Free Medical Clinic and the Seneca-Babcock Community Association.
Lighthouse Free Medical Clinic is a student-administered clinic from UB’s Health Sciences department, including the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and the School of Public Health and Health Professions. William Blymire, Clinical Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at the Jacobs School of Medicine and UBMD Internal Medicine Physician, is the Clinic’s Chief Medical Officer.
Lily McGovern, a second year medical student at UB, explained her motivation for attending the event. “As manager of Lighthouse Free Her Medical Her Clinic, I am dedicated to recognizing and addressing unmet health needs in underserved communities,” she said. rice field. “Our team helps young people seeking school and sports physicals almost every night, and the need is growing as the school year approaches.
“This event will increase our ability to implement sport-physical for those in need and provide an exciting opportunity for UB students to give back to their community,” continued McGovern. We also thank the medical, public health, and exercise training professionals who generously donated their time. ”
Jessica S. Kruger, Clinical Assistant Professor of Community Health and Healthy Behavior at UB’s College of Public Health, pointed out that sports are a great way for students to learn teamwork and be physically active. .
“Still, many families face barriers to getting school physicals,” Krueger said. “These barriers are time, access, affordability, or other competing demands. The mission of the Lighthouse Free Medical Clinic is to serve the uninsured and uninsured in Buffalo. The purpose of this event, held in conjunction with the Seneca Babcock Community Association, is to reduce these barriers and serve our communities.”
Licensed physicians who volunteer with the Lighthouse Free Medical Clinic supervised the students at this event. Participants included medical students from the Jacobs School, students from the Public Health and Exercise Training Program at the School of Public Health and Health Professions, and students from the School of Social Work. Students helped navigate patients through various clinics, take family medical histories, and educate patients about injury prevention.
“As medical students, we believe it is most important to serve the Buffalo community early and often as we strive to become doctors,” McGovern said. “I love going outside the classroom and using my skills to support my neighbors. I’m also an aspiring pediatrician, so I love the opportunity to work with young people.”
The participating UB students learned skills related to interprofessional collaboration, a key component of health science education at UB, Kruger added.
“Teamwork is key to health care, and working together allows us to serve our communities and instill these values,” she said. has a lasting impact on students: those who start working with underserved people early in their careers are more likely to want to continue working in those communities in the future.”
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