USC physician assistant students host 2nd annual health fair
Free event at Boys and Girls Club of Lincoln Heights on Sept. 29
ALHAMBRA, Calif. — On Saturday, Sept. 29, physician assistant (PA) students from the Keck School of Medicine of USC’s Primary Care PA Program will host their second annual ProActive Health Fair at the Boys and Girls Club of Lincoln Heights (2635 Pasadena Ave., Los Angeles, CA, 90031).
Scheduled from 10 a.m. until 1:30 p.m., this free public event will include high blood pressure screenings, diabetes screenings, nutritional and exercise information, medication review, basic dental checks, referral services and more.
Though run primarily by the USC PA Student Society (USCPASS), the ProActive Health Fair combines the organizational efforts of students from other Keck programs as well: pharmacy, medicine, occupational therapy and physical therapy. This interdisciplinary method provides attendees with a unique, whole-person approach to their care while affording the students an opportunity to learn about each others’ respective disciplines in practice.
The ProActive Health Fair was created for two reasons: to fulfill the combined missions of the PA program at Keck and USCPASS by providing primary care services to underserved communities, and to kick off and celebrate National PA Week (from Oct. 6-12), a week designed to promote the PA profession.
PAs are trained in the same model as physicians and are able to provide both diagnostic and preventive health services under physician supervision. In 2012, Forbes Magazine recognized the PA degree as the best Master’s degree for the third year in a row, and the profession is continuing to grow in response to the increasing primary care physician shortage.
The Keck School of Medicine of USC’s Primary Care PA Program was established in 1971 at the LAC+USC Medical Center. Approved by the State of California, and nationally recognized since 1975, the program has seen over 1,300 graduates. The program began as a certificate program, shifted into a Bachelor of Science degree in 1994, and in 2000 transitioned to a graduate level program. Today, students are awarded a Master of Physician Assistant Practice (MPAP) after 33 months of classroom training and clinical rotations.
Please join the students of the Keck School of Medicine of USC’s Primary Care PA Program on Saturday, Sept. 29, 2012 from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Boys and Girls Club of Lincoln Heights. And bring the family!
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If you would like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with a USCPASS member, please contact John Waite at johnwait@usc.edu. For more information about National PA Week, please visit www.aapa.org/events/pa_week.aspx
Contact: John Waite, johnwait@usc.edu
