UB health sciences students hosting wellness fair, free sports physicals

UB faculty and health sciences students are continuing their longstanding partnership with the Seneca-Babcock Community Association and the surrounding community by hosting a free sports physicals and wellness fair for members of the community on March 4.

Dental, medicine, pharmacy and public health and health professions students and faculty will be staffing the event, providing free health information and screenings for community members of all ages. The fair takes place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Seneca-Babcock Community Center, 1168 Seneca St. in South Buffalo.

For example, students from the School of Public Health and Health Professions’ athletic training program will be on hand providing automated external defibrillator (AED) and CPR information. School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences students will have information on asthma and other conditions. And students from the Speech-Language and Hearing Clinic in the College of Arts and Sciences will be in attendance to discuss services provided at the clinic.

In addition, the UB students will provide free sports physicals for K-12 students; a parent or guardian must accompany the child and bring their school’s physical form.

Vaccinations will not be provided at this clinic.

The event is being held jointly by the Seneca-Babcock Community Association and the Lighthouse Free Medical Clinic at UB, a student-managed clinic of the university’s health sciences units, including the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and the School of Public Health and Health Professions. The nonprofit, drop-in clinic provides free, routine health care and preventive services to uninsured patients across Buffalo.

“It really is such an inspiration to see so many students from diverse disciplines that are committed to addressing barriers to care and ensuring positive health outcomes for people who are underinsured,” says Aanya Wood, an allied health student volunteer at Lighthouse who is in the final year of UB’s MPH program.

“Lighthouse is such a boon to the larger community and is such a great resource for people who are underinsured and/or who haven’t engaged with medical care in some time. My goal is to see no one in Western New York forego medical care due to issues with insurance; we all deserve accessible, culturally competent and patient-centered care,” adds Wood.

Licensed physicians who volunteer for the Lighthouse Free Medical Clinic will supervise the UB students at the event.

In addition to the services they can receive from preceptors — the experienced practitioners who supervise students during clinical practice — at the event, community members can also find information on navigating health insurance and benefits, tobacco cessation, sexual and reproductive health, behavioral health and engagement in routine preventive medical care.

The clinic previously held a sports physicals clinic in September at the community center.

“This event is a great way to give back to Seneca-Babcock and the surrounding community, while providing our students with a valuable way to gain interprofessional experience in a real-world setting, collaborating with other health sciences students,” says Jessica Kruger, clinical associate professor of community health and health behavior, School of Public Health and Health Professions.

“I’ve worked in clinical settings for some time before starting grad school, but have never worked in a free clinic setting,” says Wood. “It’s such a dynamic environment that fosters interprofessional collaboration and education for volunteers and is very conducive to engaging with so many underserved populations.”