Brothers in Medicine and Sistahs in Medicine joined forces in January to provide blood pressure screenings on the Colquitt County Courthouse Square during the MLK birthday celebration . Pictured are Lola Sewo , OMS2 , left photo ; Alex Chen , OMS1 , and Schiley Pierre Louis , OMS2 , center photo ; and Nahimie Louissaint , OMS1 , right photo . Photos by Evan Curry
can be a group effort . [ Sistahs in Medicine ] fosters an environment in which together , we can uplift each other and our community as we strive for success through service , commitment , and leadership development ,” Pittman explained . “ The culture of our organization promotes a supportive sisterhood that emphasizes the importance of working as a team , communicating effectively , collaborating to solve problems , and above all , growing together through our journey in medicine .”
Student support , however , is not where either organization ’ s focus stops . In keeping with PCOM South Georgia ’ s initiative to give back to the surrounding area , Brothers and Sistahs in Medicine have regularly conducted a number of health screenings , mental health talks and other health-related events in the Moultrie community . Recently , Brothers in Medicine hosted a “ Barbershop Talk ,” in which members of the community were invited to discuss stressors and strains men regularly experience and how to better cope with them . Similarly ,
Sistahs in Medicine held a “ Self- Care ” event , focused on informing participants on the importance of mental self-care and emotional hygiene while dealing with rigors , negative occurrences and potential setbacks of everyday life . The organization ’ s area outreach initiative is not limited to the older population in Moultrie . In order to address the need for youth mentorship in the community , Sistahs in Medicine has recently begun mentoring middle-school and junior high aged students through the Boys and Girls Club , C . A . Gray Junior High and a local teen mentorship organization , Teens Have Visions 2 , Inc .
The initiative is a partnership between PCOM South Georgia , C . A . Gray and the two organizations , and uses a mentorship program designed by the Boys and Girls Club .
“ We ’ re using the Boys and Girls Club curriculum called ‘ Smart Girls ,’ [ which is ] based on a strength-based approach of mentoring , growing and developing girls at that age ,” Mitchell explained . “ We ’ re piloting it until the end of the school year and then we ’ ll determine if we need to make some changes or if we keep it the same for the full year next year .”
At C . A . Gray , the endeavor is more of a oneon-one approach , with 16 girls who have been identified as having an interest in healthcare being individually matched up with 16 Sistahs in Medicine . The students have responded well to the new program , Mitchell said .
“ I think the girls love seeing our students in their white coats -- it just made them so excited about it ,” she said .
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