Each year, AAPA members support the Host City Prevention Campaign (HCPC), a philanthropic project in the host city of AAPA's annual conference. The purposes of this activity are to show support for the host city and to encourage philanthropy within the PA profession. PA campaign efforts have focused on worthwhile causes such as end-of-life decision making, breast cancer awareness, organ transplants, violence prevention, asthma and inner city children, childhood immunization, teenage suicide prevention and mental health, Habitat for Humanity, prevention of childhood obesity, free clinics, and health literacy.
This year's theme is Literacy, and with this in mind, President Stephen Hanson’s host city recipient in Atlanta, Georgia will be the South Georgia Farmworker Health Project, established and managed by Emory PA Program. A presentation will be made during the annual conference opening session in Atlanta.
The South Georgia Farmworker Health Project (SGFHP) is a well-established community-campus collaborative project. They are now entering their fifteenth year of outreach. Though SGFHP started out with a one-week clinic, since 1998 they have done 2 weeks in June during the peak season. Their team in June 2009 focused on patient education on a common and dangerous problem for farmworkers – heat injury.
SGFHP uses a mobile outreach model to provide free out-patient care to migrant and seasonal farm workers and their dependents in the southern tier of Georgia counties. Beyond its direct impact on a very medically underserved and impoverished patient base, it has had substantial impact on communities, individual PA and MD volunteers, and Emory PA students.
The project provides direct service to approximately 1900 farm workers and their dependents during their time in South Georgia. Although many only have minor complaints, significant disorders were addressed in a number of patients. It also provides an important educational experience and impact for student, faculty, and volunteers.
Many in our group, myself included, went on the project with the lofty notions of serving these individuals, sacrificing of our time and comfort for just a short period to provide them free medical care. My experience gave me pause on this – haven’t they been serving us so much more, giving of their daily lives for years, to provide us affordable, fresh produce? This is the least we could do to return something of what they’ve blessed us with.” PA-Student
In addition to presenting a check to SGFHP, monies raise will also fund several other literacy-themed projects throughout the U.S. and two PA student scholarships.
Please consider a donation to support this program. Click here!
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