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January 5, 2011
Medical Students Provide Health Care in Southwest Virginia
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Over fifty students and five physicians from the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine – Virginia Campus (VCOM) participated in a healthcare outreach program to the Galax Community in December. Over seventy local residents took advantage of the free health and medical services which included health screenings and consultative visits with supervised medical students and physicians. Lunch was donated locally by the local Wal-Mart to feed the participants. In the spirit of the season, students offered all participants and their families with gift bags with blankets, hats, scarves, and toiletries.
Blood pressure checks, blood glucose checks, and body mass evaluations were performed under faculty supervision by the VCOM medical students. Individuals were then given the opportunity to consult a physician in the “make shift clinic” located within the community center. Free prescriptions were provided for those who needed them that day.
Located in Blacksburg Virginia, VCOM’s mission is to educate students who are community minded and focused on helping those in 
need. Appalachian outreach programs such as this clinic are ways that students learn medicine but also learn about giving back to their community. According to Vice Dean of the VCOM-Virginia Campus, Jan Willcox, D.O., “Our students, faculty and staff are thankful for the opportunity to contribute to the Galax and surrounding area. VCOM’s mission is to train physicians to serve those most in need in rural and medical underserved Appalachia and we recruit and train students with a commitment to that mission. We collaborate with Twin County Hospital at Galax as a core teaching hospital for our third and fourth year students. Today’s healthcare outreach provided a wonderful opportunity for our students to participate in this beautiful area. All of us receive more from our patients than we give and this experience is an opportunity for us to know and understand our community better.”