Connect

This is the latest installment in our Connect article series “Hope at Work” — showcasing inspiring stories about how our team members contribute to UVA Health’s 10-year strategic plan: “One Future Together Health and Hope for All.” No matter where you work, you have an opportunity to inspire hope in others. These stories show how:

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the only federal holiday dedicated to community service, UVA Health partnered with Charlottesville High School to host a free sports physical event, ensuring students could meet the medical requirements needed to participate in spring sports including soccer, softball, and tennis. 

The initiative came together swiftly after Jackie Martin, MPH, CDM, Director of Community Partnerships and Health Equity, received an email from Charlottesville High School on the evening of Jan. 13, requesting assistance for an event the following Monday. "To have all these volunteers organized and here today is just amazing!" Martin says. 

Martin and her colleagues in the UVA Health Office of Diversity and Community Engagement field community requests and organize a variety of health education and awareness events including a men’s health event in partnership with Mount Zion First African Baptist Church, a women’s health event sponsored by UVA Health Obstetrics and Gynecology in partnership with Chihamba, regular outreach in Fifeville on every first and third Tuesday of the month, and one-stop shops for individuals ages 50 and older in collaboration with the YMCA and other community partners. 

As for free sports physicals, Martin highlights their importance: “Sports physicals can be cost prohibitive for some families, and they become a barrier to students participating in sports. We want students to be active, and participating in team sports provides opportunities for socialization, which is also important."  

The four-hour clinic offered 12 appointments per hour and accepted walk-ins. With six exam rooms available, medical professionals and students worked together to provide thorough physicals, ultimately serving 55 students.  

A Day Dedicated to Service 

John Gazewood, MD, has been with UVA Health since 1997 and serves as an attending physician in Family Medicine. Dr. Gazewood greeted students by asking which sports they were hoping to play, and which subjects interested them in school.  

"Many families cannot afford to go to the doctor, and it’s difficult to take time off from work and school for appointments. Having this clinic on a holiday when many parents aren’t working and kids are out of school is convenient for families," Dr. Gazewood recognizes.  

UVA Health residents and UVA School of Medicine students conducted the physicals, with Dr. Gazewood and another attending physician, Sarah Dalrymple, MD, overseeing and signing off on evaluations.  

Dr. Dalrymple, who joined UVA Health n 2015 and sees patients in Nelson County and at University Medical Center, felt compelled to volunteer on her day off, given the significance of this federal holiday. "I love doing this with our residents, and it’s especially meaningful on MLK Jr. Day, a day dedicated to service,” she says.  

Common health concerns identified during the physicals included elevated blood pressure and vision issues, for which UVA Health provides families with a list of local pediatricians and family physicians for follow-up care.  

Out of the Hospital and Into the Community 

Albemarle County parent, Sonia, brought her 8^th and 9^th grade sons to the clinic after struggling to secure appointments for physicals earlier in the year. "I tried to make an appointment in November, but the earliest availability was February," she recalls. "When I got the email about this clinic, I was relieved we could just walk in today."

Ashley Wright, who recently moved to the area and is still working on establishing care with a primary care physician, was another parent grateful for the event. "Anything free is helpful,” she explains. Her 8th grade daughter is preparing to try out for soccer, volleyball, and cheer. 

As Dr. Gazewood reflects, "A big part of family medicine is community medicine, and it’s important that we engage with the Charlottesville community to meet their medical needs." 

UVA Health extends heartfelt thanks to all the volunteers who made the event a success, including:  

• Sarah Dalrymple, MD 

• John Gazewood, MD  

• Jasmine Harris, CMA 

• Jackie Martin, MPH, CDM  

• Mayuri Kathrotia, MD 

• Jason Miller 

• Carolyn Murphy, RN 

• Zuby Okator 

• Ashley Sharkey, RN 

• Shufei Tao, MD 

• Haley Turner 

• Alex Williams, MD