University of South Carolina (UofSC) School of Medicine Greenville is highly engaged
in improving the health and wellness of our community through meaningful bi-directional
volunteerism, mentorship, and education programs.
How Our Students Engage
Our students, faculty, and staff are committed to reducing health disparities in our
communities through a variety of student-led community outreach initiatives including
but not limited to:
In partnership with Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA), students, faculty, and staff at the UofSC
School of Medicine Greenville donate Christmas gifts to families of the Julie Valentine
Center, a local center that provides free, confidential services to sexual assault
and child abuse survivors and their families.
Community Outreach Committee
The Community Outreach Committee, led by UofSC School of Medicine Greenville students,
organizes volunteers for a variety of community outreach activities to engage with
Greenville and the Upstate. Organizations that fall within the Community Outreach
Committee include:
The Greenville Branch of Achilles International is a running group to empower people
of all ages, abilities, and medical/adaptive needs to run, train, and compete in mainstream
athletic events. At Achilles, running is any forward movement in a way that best works
for the athlete, and there are no restrictions on pace or distance. As a group we
provide adaptive equipment, guides, and support to adaptive athletes. We have weekly
practices each Saturday at 8am and participate in many races of varying distances
and paces together.
GFMC provides medical and dental care, health education, and prescriptions without
charge to low-income, uninsured Greenville County residents. Medical students serve
the clinic by triaging patients, taking vitals, serving as interpreters, and assisting
the clinic with various other tasks as needed. Visit the Greenville Free Medical Clinic website for more information.
The goal of the Health Outreach Initiative is to educate local middle and high school
students on health topics and careers to facilitate a better understanding of health
information, improve health literacy, and improve the overall health of the Upstate.
Medical students visit local schools monthly to educate students on common diseases,
such as heart attacks or diabetes, and how they can intervene if an emergency occurs.
Similarly, we incorporate activities about their own bodies in order to empower them
to take an active role in maintaining good health throughout their lives. Additionally,
we provide information about various career paths in health care, such as nursing
and EMS, in an effort to promote a future generation of diverse and outstanding health
care providers.
The Hospice Volunteering Group works with both Homestead Hospice and Agape Hospice
to provide volunteering opportunities through the two agencies. Volunteers visit a
few times a month to provide a warm and friendly face to those going through their
last stages of life, provide caregiver relief, and ultimately serve those in hospice
in a simple yet very effective way.
The Juvenile Detention Center in Greenville works to provide youth who have committed
a crime a safe, secure, and productive environment while they await adjudication,
disposition, or placement. As a volunteer group, we aim to educate the youth about
a variety of topics from exercise fitness, nutrition, first aid, hygiene, and many
more while providing them with a fun and interactive afternoon. The group volunteers
at the center for an hour every two weeks.
The Greenville branch of FoodShare is a non-profit dedicated to providing fresh produce
to underserved members of the community at a reduced price by packing and delivering
food boxes to various locations in Greenville. People of the community place their
orders online and receive food boxes filled with produce two times per month. Our
student volunteers help prep food boxes, pack boxes with produce, and/or assist in
delivering the boxes. These volunteer opportunities are available every other week,
and volunteers can help out as often as they would like. Additionally, medical students
and faculty are able to sign up to receive food boxes.
The Medical Roots Garden creates a space for students, faculty, and staff to cultivate
an organic garden, build the medical community, and emphasize the school’s value of
applying lifestyle medicine to one’s practice. Our student-run community garden, located
on campus, is a place where students and faculty work together to learn about planting,
while maintaining and harvesting seasonal fruits and vegetables. We hope to share
our skills and knowledge in the garden with other community members in order to promote
healthy lifestyles complete with fresh nutritious produce available to the UofSC SOMG
community.
Mentor Upstate is a school mentoring program whose goal is to “support as many children
as possible through positive, real one-on-one relationships.” The majority of UofSC
SOMG students volunteer at Hollis Elementary and are assigned an elementary school
student of the same gender to eat lunch with once a week. This opportunity truly allows
our students to develop a relationship with those who might not otherwise have a mentor.
The Positive Exposure Zone seeks to support, encourage and enlighten medical students
to become empathetic and compassionate health care providers. Utilizing Positive Exposure
multimedia education, the arts, and community involvement, the Positive Exposure Zone
of the UofSC School of Medicine Greenville creates innovative opportunities for physicians
in training to see beyond a diagnosis, celebrating the humanity of our patients. Please
visit the Positive Exposure website for more information.
Challenge the conventional. Create the exceptional. No Limits.