On Friday, June 18, Veterans Inc. hosted its annual Stand Down event, a health and services fair designed to connect homeless and impoverished veteran families with a variety of community resources.
The Worcester Evening Free Medical Services Program, a member of the Worcester Free Care Collaborative, was invited to host a table at this event.
UMass Medical School Class of 2024 School of Medicine students Mina Botros, Danielle Heims-Waldron, Saurabh Kumar, Brian Nickley, Sassi Schick and Addison Ward, as well as Worcester Free Care Collaborative vice president David Runyan, a GEP to DNP student in the Graduate School of Nursing, represented the program. They were joined by Worcester Free Care Collaborative treasurer Sadia Chaghtai, DO; member-at-large Priscilla Bolte; James Ledwith, MD, assistant professor of family medicine & community health and medical director for the program; and Syed Ali, MD.
Students informed veterans of the free services offered, provided blood pressure screening and shared information about additional resources veterans can access through the case management program. Additionally, students participated in COVID-19 vaccine outreach efforts and continued to spread the word that the program is reopening in-person programs during the spring and summer of 2021.