Sullivan University COPHS Physician Assistant Students to Volunteer at Have a Heart Clinic
July 8, 2021
Second year Physician Assistant (PA) students from the Sullivan University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (SU COPHS) will volunteer at the Family Health Center in Portland on July 24th through a screening program offered by Have A Heart Clinic.
The event will provide important education and clinical training opportunities for the students while assisting the Have A Heart Clinic with cardiovascular screenings of Family Healthcare patients and members of the community.
“The screening provides PA students education on guideline-based risk factor modification and the ability to interact with patients and educate them on how to achieve those,” said Have A Heart Clinic Medical Director Michael Imburgia, MD. “These people are less likely to be able to afford such care.”
During the July 24th event, participants will have their blood pressure, heart rhythm and cholesterol tested. In addition, their risk of stroke or heart attack over the next 10 years will be calculated to determine if follow up is needed.
Throughout their didactic year of training, Sullivan PA students have learned about health care disparities and patients at particular risk within our community, said Kelly Joy, an assistant professor in the university’s PA program.
“This event with the Have A Heart Clinic is not only an amazing opportunity for our students to practice their clinical skills, but it is an opportunity for them to interact with and serve the uninsured and underinsured in the Louisville Metro area,” Joy said.
The Have A Heart Clinic is committed to elevating community health in the region by providing cardiovascular care, coordinated support services, health screenings and education to adult patients, regardless of their ability to pay or their insurance coverage or status.
In addition to treating disparities in healthcare, the Clinic works to address health disparities by screening for cardiovascular disease and risk and by educating screening participants on healthy lifestyle and risk reduction.
“In parts of Louisville, people die from cardiovascular disease at two-and-a-half times that of other wealthier parts of the city,” Dr. Imburgia said. “Our hope is to change that outcome.”
