MOULTRIE – For the past three years, PCOM South Georgia student doctors have worked with students at Brooks County High School as part of the Health Career Collaborative (HCC). From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 23, the partnership will culminate in a community health fair at Courtland Church of Christ in Quitman.

HCC is a non-profit organization designed to build relationships between a cohort of high school students and a team of older students and health care professionals across three years of programming, according to a press release from the medical college in Moultrie. The HCC model provides an approach that builds on high school students’ learning and confidence from the previous year. HCC is an outreach program of Operation Giving Back of the American College of Surgeons.

“For the past few years, PCOM South Georgia student doctors have worked closely with a cohort of students at Brooks County High School on different projects to help them deepen their understanding of health science and learn more about public health and community needs through the HCC,” said PCOM South Georgia’s Megan Presley, assistant director of admissions & junior CRM administrator. “As 10th graders, students worked through a variety of ER cases. In 11th grade they learned about public health, including heart disease and hypertension, nutrition, obesity, diabetes, trauma and violence prevention, just to name a few. Their 12th grade year was an opportunity to assess the needs of their community and plan a community health fair. The goal is to empower these students to become health advocates and leaders in their own community.”

Within the local HCC program, Presley works with a new set of medical student directors each year. The 2023-24 HCC medical student directors are Alex Chen (DO ’26), Preston Hawkins (DO ’26) and Nahimie Louissaint (DO ’26). The program leader at Brooks County High School is faculty member Zinda McDaniel, healthcare science teacher, under the leadership of Principal Chris Chastain.

The Brooks County Community Health Fair will include guest speakers Daryl Crenshaw, MD, FACP, FASN, FASH, and Charlene C. Blache, MD, FAAP. Dr. Crenshaw is a practicing nephrologist in Thomasville and Moultrie as well as an adjunct faculty member at PCOM South Georgia. Dr. Blache is owner and lead pediatrician of Southern Pediatric Clinic.

The event will include several free health screenings for blood pressure, height and weight, and lipid and glucose checks (fasting preferred). Information regarding stroke, sepsis and infection prevention will be available as well as medication and dietary consultations. A food drive by Second Harvest of South Georgia will be on site. Participants can also enter for a chance to win blood pressure cuffs, glucometers and smoke detectors.

For more information about the Brooks County Community Health Fair on March 23, please email Presley at meganpr@pcom.edu.