Students Shine at 2023 Multidisciplinary Community Outreach
SLP, D.P.T. and Medical Students Partner with White Plains Hospital to Perform Free Health Assessments
Faculty and students of the New York Medical College (NYMC) School of Health Sciences and Practice (SHSP) and School of Medicine (SOM) participated in the Annual Neighborhood Health Fair at Calvary Baptist Church hosted by White Plains Hospital on September 30. The SHSP Department of Rehabilitation Sciences was well represented at the event as groups from the Divisions of Speech-Language Pathology and Physical Therapy performed free screenings and educational sessions for the community.
Speech-language pathology (SLP) students offered cognitive-linguistic screening for adults to assess attention, memory, language, executive functions, and visuospatial skills. SLP students also had the chance to provide hearing and pediatric language screenings for children.
“Taking part in the White Plains Health Fair was an incredible opportunity. Although I had experience with pediatric language screenings and hearing screenings, it was my first time administering adult cognitive-linguistic screenings and teaming up with physical therapy and medical students. Working together helped us understand our roles within multidisciplinary teams better and foster a reciprocal exchange of information,” said Parapar Madha, SLP Class of 2024.
Doctor of Physical Therapy (D.P.T.) students presented visitors with information about the importance of physical therapy and provided physical therapy referrals. The students conducted fall-risk assessments, testing community members’ balance and walking. Blood pressure screenings performed by DP.T. students were also available.
“It was great to see the influence of public health on the community. As physical therapists, we have such a big influence on the outcome of a patient and the ability to impact their health in a positive way. I also think it is important to have events like this where we provide free health services to the community because at the end of the day health is wealth,” said Justin Augustin, D.P.T. Class of 2025.
SHSP students were also able to provide these services to other NYMC students in attendance, yielding valuable opportunities for interprofessional collaboration between SLP, D.P.T, and the SOM.