Ivy Tech Students Help Hundreds At Volunteer Clinic

Students and staff at Ivy Tech Community College's Lawrenceburg campus traveled to West Virginia to help others with basic medical care.

Photo provided.

(Lawrenceburg, Ind.) - Ivy Tech Community College Health Sciences students and faculty members from the College’s Lawrenceburg Campus joined hundreds of other volunteers during the fall semester to provide basic medical, vision, and dental care at a free clinic in Charleston, West Virginia.

Students interacted with community members and offered assistance in triage, vision, sterilization, and as guides. The 12 students and faculty members partnered with Remote Area Medical (RAM) in October to see 775 patients and aid in administering $288,231 in free services. Some individuals seen at the clinic traveled more than two hours to attend the two-day clinic.

Students were able to put their passion for healthcare to work by serving as volunteers during this time.  Students were also able to visit a Veteran's memorial and pay their respects while exploring the state’s capital.

“Participating in a RAM event was a fantastic opportunity to be able to provide desperately needed services to this community,” said Amy Payne, healthcare specialist graduate and current nursing student. “I’m not sure who benefited more from this experience — the people being served or us as students. I appreciate Ivy Tech's continued support of this opportunity.”

The Ivy Tech students who participated were Amy Payne of Lawrenceburg, Cody Deerberg of Metamora, Kaylee Riggs of Aurora, Matthew Newman of Greensburg, Alyssa Kneuven of Aurora, Lauren Cassada of Moores Hill, Cailey Lee of Sunman, Caleb King of Brookville. Kristen Keiffer of Lawrenceburg, Sara Lane of Greendale, Jena Volz of Lawrenceburg, and Kristina Jewett of Aurora. These students come from different health science programs: medical assisting, phlebotomy, and nursing, with the same desire to help the community. They were all able to do that at the RAM event while having fun and getting to know each other.

Ivy Tech faculty and staff members who participated included Monica Bolton, Program Chair of Medical Assisting and Healthcare Specialist; Samantha Weiler, Healthcare Specialist adjunct instructor; and Jackie Koch, Health Sciences Division administrative assistant.

“Our goal is to help students better respect the healthcare team as a whole, as well as offer them a hands-on opportunity to practice skills,” Bolton said. “Our students continuously outshine other institutions with their altruism, passion, and respect for healthcare. We are all proud of the efforts they continue to put forth in school and in healthcare settings.”

Remote Area Medical is a Tennessee-based nonprofit organization that delivers basic medical aid to people in the world’s inaccessible regions by offering medical care through mobile clinics in under-served, isolated, or impoverished communities.