CHARLES R . DREW UNIVERSITY
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Governor Newsom Visits Kedren
A CDU Clinical Site
California Governor Gavin Newsom visited the Kedren Health Center in South Los Angeles in February 2021 as part of his tour of testing and vaccination sites in Southern California .
Gov . Newsom was very complimentary of the vaccination site , which CDU students have been helping to staff and support . “[ This model ] needs to be replicated hundreds of times [ across the state ],” said the governor in an interview with the Los Angeles Sentinel following his visit .
The Kedren Health Center is part of CDU ’ s distributed clinical environment which immerses our residents in diverse experiences in a range of settings . As a result , CDU residents get their training in learning systems and specialties that can shape their post graduate career interests . Receiving a visit from a sitting governor was a special occasion CDU students will not soon forget .
CDU PA Students Launch Social Justice Society
CDU Physician Assistant ( PA ) students Nicole Mueske and Beringia Liu founded the Social Justice Society to bring about community-wide change , make diversity , equity , and inclusion efforts accessible for their peers , and prove that everyone can make a difference . make a difference in the school ’ s community of Compton , California . “ We have a direct vision to help our community , first locally , and then globally as we branch out and continue to do this work , focusing on health disparities and equity ,” stated Mueske .
The Social Justice Society extends the reach of its advocacy efforts through social media outreach . Students from the Society post photos in which they finish the statement , “ I show up for social justice and community because …” In each of these posts , the society tags other PA programs to encourage nationwide participation , while sharing educational information , resources , or action items . “ In a way , it is each student ’ s opportunity to highlight their personal passions in reducing health disparities ,” Liu said .
“ Because of the pandemic , we weren ’ t there in person to see each other ’ s body language and ask classmates if they were okay ,” recalls Mueske . “ We had to become proactive in checking in with each other and starting conversations .”
These individual conversations led to broader class discussions , in which the students decided to create a formal society . The Social Justice Society was founded with the mission to proactively
In its first year , the society made incredible strides . They collected almost 300 hygiene kit items for community members without housing , raised money to donate Thanksgiving meals , organized a toy drive that raised over $ 1,600 for more than 100 Christmas gifts for kids , provided thirty $ 25 grocery gift cards to community members , and sent over 600 handwritten letters to nursing home residents in Spanish and English .
Mueske and Liu said they hope that the society ’ s efforts will spark action from other PA programs across the nation . “ Showing up for social justice and community in L . A . looks different than what it looks like in New Orleans or in rural areas of the country , so we want to inspire people – not only PAs – to know that everything they ’ re doing matters ,” Mueske said . “ As long as you keep moving forward , as long as there is action behind your words , it all matters .”
18 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT