MPH students facilitated health education sessions to hundreds of patients that attended the Remote Area Medical (RAM) Clinic in Camp Jordan, Tennessee on November 16th & 17th. The two-day event brought together nearly 400 volunteers to serve the needs of 931 patients seeking free medical, dental, and vision care. Overall, the RAM Clinic delivered over $500,000 in free treatment & services.
Serving on the executive planning committee, the UTC Public Health faculty wanted to provide an active, meaningful role for our students, while adding value to the overall RAM Clinic. Fortunately, one of the goals of the clinic director, Mr. Bob Nevil, was to provide clinic patients with information on physical activity, healthy eating, and oral health. Under the direction of Ms. Megan Sloan, a 2nd year MPH student, our students served in the role of health educators, facilitating, empowering, and informing patients while they waited for their medical services.
Students teamed up in groups of two to three to deliver short, dynamic, and easy to understand health-related education sessions. Each session lasted about 10-15 minutes with time for questions and answers afterwards. The health education sessions rotated through various waiting stations several times throughout both days. This was one of the first times that RAM provided patients with health education – it was a great learning experience for our students and one we hope to build upon at future clinics!
