Page 33 - WesternU View Summer 2019
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Care Harbor continued…
First-year COMP student Brianna Ahn took patients’
histories, performed physicals and presented her cases
to preceptors and attending physicians.
“I’m learning more about how health care is given.
It’s great. I haven’t participated in this big of a clinic
before,” she said. “I definitely enjoy volunteering.
The best way to learn about medicine is to talk to
patients and the people we serve. Opportunities like
this is where we get to understand humanism in
medicine and really get a clear perspective on
patients’ health needs in this community.”
First-year College of Health Sciences Physician
Assistant student Steven Orton said volunteering is a
way to learn outside the classroom and to put theory
into practice.
“Doing community outreach is an important part of
Optometry student Genesis Garibay adjusts new frames of patient
Genevieve Mladinor, II. my life. It’s one of the reasons I chose the medical
profession as a career,” he said. “It’s part of the mission
statement for WesternU. It’s nice to see students who
attend our school abide by that mission.”
Fontana resident Patricia Green received a thorough
vision exam from multiple College of Optometry
students and faculty. She last had her eyes checked
VSP provided 314 eyeglasses to
about three years ago. She has problems reading small
WesternU for distribution. print, so she was fitted with and received new glasses
on the spot courtesy of Healing California.
College of Optometry student Jeanette Ramirez, who “Everybody was really nice and helpful and friendly. I
is entering her second year, said she was busy at Care couldn’t believe that part, because most of the time
Harbor Fairplex serving as an interpreter for when you come sometimes people are kind of on edge
Spanish-speaking patients. She also provided Spanish or rushing, but these people were very patient and
instructions for patients who picked up their glasses asked me if I needed anything,” Green said. “I was
at WesternU. really excited about it.”
“They understand they have to use these glasses, but Others she talked to didn’t want to come to Care
not that it takes time to adjust to the glasses, so they Harbor because they thought it would take all day,
just give up,” Ramirez said. “I’m able to explain it’s but she was finished within a few hours of lining up
going to take about a week to adjust.” Saturday morning.
Ramirez grew up in East Los Angeles and “I can see things now. I won’t have to take a picture
understands the importance of giving back to the with my phone and then make it bigger so I can see
community. She has traveled to Mexico on mission it,” Green said. “I’m glad I came. I got my glasses.” n
trips and plans to continue volunteering after
graduation. Visit https://vimeo.com/333853671 for a video
“A lady right now said as soon as she put on the
glasses that she can see so much clearer,” Ramirez
said. “You can see it in their faces. They are a lot
happier. It’s nice to see.”
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