One of the great strengths of our residency program is our extensive community outreach. Our residents are involved in public health screenings conducted at CentraState Medical Center, as well as other locations, for various conditions including diabetes, peripheral vascular disease, and many types of cancer.
In the local schools, residents conduct workshops to teach school nurses and teach Freehold High School students in the elite Medical Science Program. One year, we collected funds to purchase school supplies for every new kindergartner starting at the nearby Park Avenue School.
Our residents also reach out to the seniors in our area, presenting frequent talks at Senior Centers in Freehold, Howell, Monroe, East Windsor, and at Bartley Healthcare and Bartley Orchards Assisted Living in Jackson. Residents have presented a wide range of topics such as Eating and Aging: Food for the Mind, Body and Soul; What to Expect at the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit, and the Health Effects of Stress and How to Manage It.
The Medical Science Specialized Learning Center at Freehold High School: Four times a year during the school year, our residents visit Freehold High School where they conduct workshops with the students in this elite program to give them an idea what it might be like to work in the medical field. Recently our residents taught 11th grade students how to perform joint injections and other common Family Medicine office procedures. In their senior year, students visit our office and shadow residents seeing patients to get a feel for what it is like to work in a full-scope Family Medicine Practice.
School Supply Drive: In August, the residents hold a fundraising drive at the Medical Center to raise money to purchase school supplies for Freehold Borough kindergarten students. The children are very excited to receive their bright red bags full of goodies such as pencils, crayons, markers, notebooks, erasers, scissors and glue, and the residents enjoy a chance to visit some of our youngest neighbors and patients.
Public Health Screenings: The residents enjoy participating in local events such as the Latino Festival held in downtown Freehold. Here the residents stand ready to conduct free blood pressure screenings as well as diabetes risk assessments.
Community Presentations: The Residents are frequent visitors to the many senior centers in the area, presenting lectures on various topics relevant to the older generation. Here is Dr. Althea Chu giving a talk to the residents of The Orchards at Bartley in Jackson.