On Thursday, August 1, team members from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia participated in the Ollie Johnson Memorial I-95 Health Fair at the Santee Conference Center in Santee, S.C. The annual event is one of the activities in conjunction with Congressman Jim Clyburn’s Rudolph Canzater Memorial Classic.

More About the Health Fair

The Ollie Johnson Memorial I-95 Health Fair is a free event for the community. The event featured health screenings such as blood pressure checks, along with several health care related booths, including the School of Medicine Columbia, USC Brain Health, USC Health Services, FoodShareSC Orangeburg, and several other local businesses and providers. In several areas surrounding the I-95 corridor, there is a lack of access to basic health care services, and the Health Fair provides opportunities for those in the surrounding community to receive general testing for free.

University of South Carolina Impact

Nearly 30 individuals from the School of Medicine Columbia volunteered at the health fair, including medical students, physician assistant students, faculty and staff. Both medical and PA students assisted faculty, including interim dean Gerald Harmon, MD, with blood pressure screenings and helped answer other health care related questions from attendees. The School of Medicine Columbia library also had a table with information and resources, along with the SOMC Center for Disability Resources. USC Brain Health, and USC Health Services.

What They’re Saying

Second year PA student Kelsey Saunders enjoyed the opportunity to represent the SOMC PA program at the event: “It’s been a really great experience to interact with everyone and get awareness out.”

Sawyer Lyons, a fourth-year medical student studying at the School of Medicine’s Florence Regional Campus, was excited for the opportunity to support the community at the Health Fair: “Having a great time here [at the health fair] serving our community. I love to give back, and I think that it is great that at this point in our education, our university allows us to give back to the community and put our skills to the test. That is what we’re doing here, and I’m very glad to be here.”

Janice Marshall, executive director of the James E. Clyburn Scholarship and Research Foundation noted the impact that USC had on the event this year:

“This is our annual Ollie Johnson I-95 Health Fair. We have been involved with the community, this is our 34th year, and if you know anything about the I-95 corridor, these people are in need of as much help as possible. Some of them, this is the only health checkup that they will get this year, until next year when we return. We are involved with the community, and I want to thank the university for being a part of today, because it does make a difference.”