LA FERIA — Christina Flores was scrolling down here facebook wall when she found the announcement that a health screening was taking place at the local recreation center.
And she was the first person to arrive to get her blood pressure and blood sugar tested and to get a chance to talk to the doctor and medical students about her health.
The health screening community event was organized by the UTRGV School of Medicine.
This was the school’s first community health care event.
UTRGV medical school’s community initiative, called Valor, is a community-university partnership between the city and the UTRGV School of Medicine interpersonal education.
The school receives office space at the dome shelter and recreation center from the city to offer educational programs and community outreach programs to area residents.
The medical school will be offering community-based educational programs ranging from medicine, nursing, dietetic, engineering, biology and Spanish disciplines.
“This is just part of our commitment to La Feria,” said John Ronnau, UTRGV senior associate dean for interprofessional education. “This is just the beginning.”
Ronnau said this is a good opportunity for the students to learn, and for the community to receive health care services from the school.
“I want to work here in the Valley and this is going to be a learning experience for me,” said Kavin Chand, a UTRGV physician’s assistant.
Chand worked side-by-side with Dr. Eron Manusov at the event.
Manusov is the family and preventive medicine chair at UTRGV School of Medicine.
“When I was at Walter-Reed I was the 17th student behind the doctor,” Manusov said. “We are training doctors who will stay here and love taking care of their patients.”
