PPMC volunteers with Bishop Grant of the Time for Healing Ministries
The weather outside might still be pretty frightful, but Penn Medicine faculty and staff have already started holding their annual health screenings and community health fairs, and that’s a sure-fire sign that spring is on the way!
This past weekend, a group of 16 volunteers from across a variety of departments and service lines at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center joined together at the Time for Healing Ministries (formerly the Highway Church of Christ) to offer free health screenings and education to members of the community. The gathering was one of the first of what is typically a very heavy season of community events and health fairs held throughout the city to raise awareness about routine health care and prevention.
“It was wonderful to see the children of our PPMC family so excited to participate in our community outreach event,” said Kevin Kates, BSN, RN, CEN, clinical nurse IV in the Emergency Department and co-chair of the Nursing Shared Governance Leadership Council at PPMC. “Events like these make PPMC more than just a hospital, we are a family of caring individuals committed to the community which we serve. This was a great way to kick-off a new season of community health fairs.”
PPMC staff Nishaminy Kasbekar, PharmD, and Patty Baroni, RN, brought their daughters Kesar Kasbekar (left) and Katie Jane Baroni to join the festivities at Sunday's health screening
Nurses, doctors, pharmacists, and dieticians attended the event to provide local residents and members of the congregation with educational information on blood pressure screenings, early screening and prevention of colon cancer, warning signs of stroke, fall prevention and nutrition. The event was capped off with a performance from the congregation’s praise dancers, and a workout session for all attendees.
“Teamwork from all our volunteers made the day special,” said Susan Chodoff, director for Regulatory Affairs and Accreditation Compliance at PPMC. “We’re excited for the upcoming Philadelphia Science Festival, our annual Spring Into Health fair and all the other community events we’ll be taking part in over the next few months where we have the opportunity to engage with the local communities and spread a healthy message.”