Back to Front PageVOLUME 6, NUMBER 4

Teaching Hospitals and Medical Schools Deliver Season's Greetings

By Jennifer Bush and Jennifer Proctor

Students at Cincinnati's Taft Elementary School hold up their new mittens and hats from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center's "Warm Children and Hearts" program.

The holiday season is not candy canes, mounds of presents, or time with loved ones for everyone. For many of the nation's needy families and individuals, what should be an occasion for thankfulness and hope is the year's most difficult and lonely time. But with the help of academic medical centers, the season is becoming a bit brighter for many of these people.

Medical schools and teaching hospitals are reaching out to their communities during the holidays through myriad activities, including conducting clothing drives, readying homes for winter months, and holding fundraising campaigns that help build shelters for the homeless. These outreach efforts not only benefit community members, they also can inspire students and translate into a commitment to volunteering that lasts beyond the holiday season.

Helping the Homeless

The University of Maryland School of Medicine annually sponsors the "Spirit of Thanksgiving," through which medical students conduct a clothing drive and serve Thanksgiving dinner to Baltimore's homeless.

More than 100 students who strongly believe in giving back to their community volunteer their time and energy to the Spirit of Thanksgiving, says Bridget Hilliard, a second-year medical student at Maryland who is coordinating this year's program. "It is very gratifying to interact with the dinner guests, who are incredibly thankful for what we provide them," Hilliard says. Nearly every medical student club or organization plays a role in the program's activities, she adds.

The Spirit of Thanksgiving began more than a decade ago to fulfill the school's family care track requirements. Through the years, the program has expanded beyond the School of Medicine to include the University of Maryland's Department of Physical Therapy and School of Social Work, but it remains entirely student-run with alumni assisting in its funding.

In Cleveland, There Really Is a Santa Claus

Each November, the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine appeals to the Cleveland community for gifts and monetary donations for the needy. Before holiday break, a group of Student National Medical Association (SNMA) members wrap packages and purchase gifts with donations.

SNMA members also share their time by dressing as Santa Claus and his helpers and distributing toys to children at a local community center. "Giving back to the community helps foster a sense of true caring beyond just doing a job or taking advantage of a learning opportunity," says Clarissa E. Johnson, co-president of Case Western's SNMA.

That sense of caring is evident throughout the year in Case Western's ongoing community outreach efforts in inner-city Cleveland. For example, medical students design and organize a health fair at a public school for sixth- through eighth-grade students. The health fair teaches students about biology and sparks their interest in the medical sciences through interactive stations, which allow participants to hook up a set of pig lungs to a ventilator, run a cow's eye lens over newsprint to show its magnification powers, and see an actual human brain.

And just last month Case Western students volunteered their time to make dinner for the families staying at a local Ronald McDonald house. "We alleviated the daily chore of cooking dinner for one night and, hopefully, gave parents time for themselves or their children," says Lisa Humphrey, a first-year student at Case Western.

Celebrating Science Achievement

Harvard Medical School uses the holidays as an occasion to celebrate the success of its "Mentoring for Science" program. During an annual holiday party, eighth- and ninth-grade students who participate in the program gather in the spirit of learning and sharing. The party honors the junior high students and their mentors - medical and graduate students who "contribute so much energy to these efforts in our community," says Carole Teperow, manager of communications and academic career development programs at Harvard Medical School.

Mentoring for Science links eighth- and ninth-grade inner-city students with medical school faculty and students, who provide advice on science projects and serve as role models and mentors. Through the program, participants are exposed to hands-on laboratory science and HMS resources.

Achilia Morrow, a third-year Harvard medical student, assists in the organization and creation of the curriculum for the eighth- and ninth-grade programs. She says that the Harvard Medical School community members are better health care professionals as a result of the school's outreach programs. "Compassion, empathy, and empowerment-qualities those in the health profession should have and try to impart to others-cannot be taught if people are willing to ignore the problems that exist literally next door," she stresses.

Warming Community Hearts … and Hands

Ohio winters can be a frigid mixture of snow, rain, and slush. Each year as part of the "Warm Children and Hearts" program, the University of Cincinnati Medical Center organizes a mitten and hat donation campaign for children at Taft Elementary School, an inner-city school near the medical center. The children send thank-you letters to the medical center and draw pictures of themselves wearing the hats and mittens.

"I am thankful because those were the first pair [of mittens] I had. Those mittens and hat help me keep warm when I'm going to school," one child wrote. Another child wrote, "We all love you." Donations from medical center staff and their families helped to keep the hands and heads of 370 elementary school students warm last year.

At Christmastime, University of Cincinnati Medical Center staff also volunteer at a gift-wrap booth in a local mall. The proceeds from the booth help provide temporary housing for homeless families, job skills training, professional counseling services, and independent living aid for the elderly, along with food, clothing, and personal care items for the needy.

The Spirit of the Season All Year Long

While the University of Alabama School of Medicine doesn't have programs specifically aimed at the holidays, its students and faculty try to spread the giving spirit throughout the year. "Most students have a long history of community activism before they even get into medical school," says Kathleen Nelson, M.D., associate dean for students at the University of Alabama School of Medicine. Students at the school can participate in a variety of ongoing proj-ects, including Habitat for Humanity, Reach Out and Read, and the AIDS Education Project.

"I don't want to wait seven years to help people; I want to feel like I'm making a difference in the community now," says Gretchen Richards, a second-year medical student at the University of Alabama. Richards is the co-president of the AIDS Education Project, which organizes and trains medical students to conduct AIDS information sessions in area high schools. Founded by medical students, the 12-year-old program helps high schoolers get the AIDS facts they need in the terms they understand. This year, 68 medical students volunteered for the project.

'Christmas in October'

Christmas comes two months early in Kansas City, thanks to the University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC). The center takes part in "Christmas in October," a national program to aid single parents and the elderly. Volunteers from the medical center help Kansas City area residents prepare their homes for the winter by painting, landscaping, taking out screens, cleaning, and more.

With the aid of materials donated by Home Depot, 200 volunteers assisted 11 families this year. "By the end of the day, people had battled the elements and given it their all for nearly eight hours," says Jason Eppler, a second-year student at KUMC and co-president of the medical school student body.

"Most people are apprehensive about coming to the hospital," Eppler says. "It's important to establish a level of trust and commitment with future patients. What better way to convey that message than to get out in the community and lend a helping hand?"

Closer to December, KUMC participates in "Adopt a Child" and "Adopt an Elderly Person" programs. Through the child program, the medical center "adopts" gift-giving responsibility for 300 children from single-parent homes. Faculty, staff, and medical students buy the children items from their holiday wish lists, including gift certificates, bikes, and stereos. Volunteers also purchase wrapping paper, and parents wrap the gifts for their children. The program for the elderly works similarly, although robes and sweaters are the most frequent gifts.

"Community service enables students, faculty, and staff to see the other side of things," says Shelley Bratton, senior coordinator of community relations at KUMC. "As a result, they are more apt to be compassionate. It makes you feel good as a volunteer, and in the long run, helps everyone see a difference."

Eppler agrees. "It's easy to get lost in the books and forget that our primary reason for being here is to help people," he says. "It's important to step back once in a while and focus your attention on others. The satisfaction you gain from community service is something that you can't put a grade or a dollar sign on."

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08 February 2005