This holiday season, the Ross Medical Education Center Huntsville, Alabama campus hosted and participated in a variety of events to support their community. One of the first things they did was hold a campus wide blood drive through the American Red Cross. The Red Cross is able to take an individual’s donation and provide life-giving support to up to three other individuals in need. This gives those who are in urgent need a greater chance of survival.
This blood drive also provided Ross the opportunity to give back to the community and allowed students to see their proficiency skills in action. With module six coming to an end and learning all about phlebotomy, students were able to observe the skill performed by trained professionals, and by donating themselves they were able to empathize with their future patients as well. Each student had a different reason to donate. Some were compelled to help others, some had never had their blood donated before. Others got through check in and learned about their hemoglobin being too low, and we discussed the relevance of that medical condition while trying to donate. For everyone on campus it was an opportunity to learn and come together. It was the campus’ first blood drive and with just the Huntsville students alone, the campus had about 50 to sign up to donate! Everyone learned a great deal, and they look forward to their next opportunity to work with the Red Cross.
Later, students in the Medical Assistant program teamed together with North Central Alabama Girl Scouts Troop 22011 to help feed their community for Thanksgiving. “It was our goal to try to feed at least 150 families,” said Campus Director Elizabeth Bowden. “Ross MAs gathered together and collected over 63 items to donate in conjunction with the girl scouts troop.” Chozyn Abner-Knox is a 2nd grader with the troop at the local elementary school who helped organize the event with her mom, Instructor Marsena Knox, at the Huntsville campus. Chozyn states that she is thankful for an opportunity to be able to donate to the community and help other children have a great meal.
Finally, this year the Ross Huntsville campus participated in their first ever Christmas Parade through the city of Huntsville. Ross students were able to celebrate with the community their mission as future allied health care workers and the importance of Breast Cancer Awareness. Each student sported their pink Ross for Breast Cancer Awareness shirt and their bright lights for the holiday season and walked to promote finding a cure. Campus Director Elizabeth Bowden told the local media television station, “We know breast cancer awareness is usually celebrated in the month of October, but at Ross, we know that the fight for a cure and the education for the disease goes on all year round.”