On September 22, 2023, Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions (RMU) partnered with the United Way of Utah County and the South Franklin Community Center in Provo to host a health fair for underserved and uninsured individuals and families in Utah County. Over 150 people, including many children, received healthcare assessments, testing, and information. Some attendees were referred to community clinics for further care.
“Our institutional mission is to improve the human condition,” said RMU President Cameron K. Martin, who volunteered alongside dozens of University and community volunteers. “By working together to offer free healthcare services and information to our local community at the health fair, we are helping to improve the lives of hundreds of local families in need.”
With the supervision of skilled healthcare professionals, student volunteers from RMU’s Doctor of Physical Therapy, Master of Physician Assistant Studies, Master of Science in Medical Speech-Language Pathology, and Doctor of Optometry programs provided healthcare screenings and information on available services to attendees. The students and faculty also represented the RMU Health Clinics that offer services to the community, which include the Center for Communication Disorders (Speech-Language Pathology), Eye Institute (Vision and Eye Care), Community Rehabilitation Clinic (Physical Therapy), Counseling, and Occupational Therapy.
In addition to RMU healthcare professionals, community partners Community Health Connect, Kids on the Move, Molina Healthcare, Centro Hispano, Holy Cross, SLCC Pre-Dental, 211, and Welcome Baby also provided resources to the local community.
Besides providing essential services to underserved families, the health fair gave RMU students the opportunity to see the impact they can make as healthcare professionals. Additionally, it illustrates the exponential positive impact partnering organizations can have on the health and well-being of their community members, especially those who may otherwise suffer without proper and available care.
“Events like this one, where we take healthcare right into the heart of a community, afford our students an opportunity to engage with people, to love and lift those in need, to meet people where they are, to see people for who they are, and to lift them by deploying the skills of our faculty and students on their behalf and thereby improve their quality of life,” President Martin said.
