Physician Assistant Students Supporting Equity and Diversity

Huge thank you to our friends at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions PA Program and all those who donated to make this year’s coat drive a success! We were able to donate 100+ coats to Jackson Elementary today and they were incredibly appreciative. Thanks to you, there will be a few less Utahns going cold this winter!

It's that time of year again! We're very excited to continue the winter clothing drive for Jackson Elementary. We've teamed up with Rocky Mountain University's PA program and are excited to work together and provide some warmth this winter!

Our program’s Mission:
“To improve the quality of health and access to care, with a commitment to the medically underserved, by educating students to become highly proficient, socially conscious, and accountable physician assistants (PAs) in the primary care model.”
In Providence, UT performing well-child checks.

Hi Everyone,

Our amazing classmate & friend, Chanda, has created a drive and fundraiser to help support her community in Navajo Nation. As you may know, the impacts of COVID have disproportionately affected the underserved communities in Navajo Nation. Please consider contributing in any way possible!
Below is her message which includes a GoFundMe link and flyer:

Ya’ah’tééh (hello): My name is Chanda Duncan, Physician Assistant Student (PA-S) from The University of Utah PA Program—Class 49 and member of the Diné (Navajo) tribe from Tohatchi, NM, on the Navajo Nation Reservation. My reservation includes the states of Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. The Navajo Nation has been hit especially hard by COVID-19, with the highest per capita number of COVID positive cases in the US.

As of today June 16, 2020:
Navajo Native Positive cases: 6,633
Navajo Nation Deaths due to COVID-19: 311
Resource: Navajo Nation Department of Health.

Many homes and families struggle to supply their homes with disinfectants and sanitations items such as bleach, hand sanitizer, disinfectant sprays, toilet paper and paper towels. Some families are not able to access adequate nutritional foods. Grocery stores and markets such as Wal-mart can be anywhere from 40 mins to about 5 hours away, depending on your location within the reservation to local border towns. Due to this lack of access people are not always able to obtain the items they desperately need, even after traveling hours.

The Navajo Nation Department of Health/ Public Health Emergency has ordered 57-hour weekend “Navajo Nation Curfews,” which has been in effect since March 30, 2020. The lack of electricity, running water, transportation, hygiene necessities, medical care, and limited healthcare providers has made life more difficult and the fight against the spread of COVID more challenging. Many families like my own have multigenerational homes, which has made it difficult to self-isolate, if anyone were to become positive with COVID-19.

The Gallup Indian Medical Center, Fort Defiance Indian Hospital, University of New Mexico Hospital, and Phoenix, AZ have been our go-to health facilities for COVID-19 care, though travel/transportation to these sites can still be a challenge for many on the reservation.

Please help me spread the word in helping Navajo Nation Fight COVID-19. Ahéé héé (thank you). Donate items and contribute to account.

GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/a5hpqp-fighting-covid19?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1

Today until 3!

We delivered all of the donations from
the coat drive to Jackson Elementary this week. We had such an amazing turn out! We used all donation money to buy brand new snow boots for so many kids. Thank you to everyone who contributed and helped make this drive a success.

The last day of our winter accessory drive is this Friday! Please consider dropping off any donations in the next few days or sending last minute donations to our venmo . We really appreciate everyone who's donated already (see the pics showing some of the donations we've received). I know all the kids and their families are going to be so grateful! ❄🧤🧣

We had the opportunity to educate high school students and promote our profession at the UVU career fair this morning. Thank you Utah AHEC for letting us know about this opportunity!

Had a great time talking to Pre-Pa/Pre-Med students today! We met with a group of bright young minds with tons of great questions. And now to begin our Thanksgiving break! 🦃

Hey everyone! I wanted to share this post about the Jackson Elementary coat drive from last year. Look at all these warm clothes! It warms my heart knowing that this drive continues to help out the students and their families from year to year. Don't forget to donate this year, the deadline is coming fast (December 13th)!

SPECIAL DELIVERY!
Happy Holidays Jackson Elementary!!!
A big thank you to those of you who donated to this year’s holiday donation drive. Lisa Jones is the counselor at Jackson and she was beyond thrilled when she saw all of this in her office. She told us that she has a student who comes to her every day to give her a hug because she gave him a coat when he didn’t have one. THIS is why we do this.
When things get tough in life we should always be able to look to each other for support.
Thank you to ASUU for providing some funds for us to buy new jackets and gloves, thank you to the members of Ute Crossfit Sugarhouse and Ute Crossfit Downtown for your kind donations, as well as everyone else who was involved in this. We couldn’t do this without you guys!

Our hearts are so full after presenting to highschoolers who will be 1st gen college students. We talked about the PA profession, how diversity is needed in medicine, and the importance of science and math. Gen Z is inquisitive and eager! Thanks Kevin Romanoff, Kenzie Harline Smith, Josh Roesser, and Hoa An Collins