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Not Forgotten: How South University Students Served Communities in Need

Authored by Sarah Shiplet

Summer 2018. A healthcare student from South University Virginia Beach provides a vision test for homeless and uninsured children at the mobile medical clinic run by the Promethean Group. Courtesy of South University.

Homeless and uninsured populations are common in every urban area, and Virginia Beach is no exception. Virginia Beach is one of several cities in Coastal Virginia, also known as Hampton Roads (Virginia Tourism Corporation 2022). In 2018, 243 people in Virginia Beach were reported as homeless (Hammond 2022). Eight percent of the total Hampton Roads’ population were uninsured (Carballo 2018). These populations could be easily overlooked. As a result, they would not have received healthcare. However, there were some groups who did not disregard their needs.

South University is a school that promotes volunteer services for student to participation. In 2018, students from South University Virginia Beach volunteered in medical clinics to service local underprivileged populations.

In January 2018, South University reported that students from a wide variety of programs worked together run a temporary medical clinic for the homeless (South University 2018b). Some students involved were not from healthcare-based programs, but the students still volunteered their time to make the student-run clinic a success. Ministry students assisted with converting the worship area of the Beach Fellowship Church into the clinic’s space (South University 2018b). A business student volunteered to supervise the clinic’s operations (South University 2018b). Students in the healthcare programs completed all necessary steps for the patients including registration, charts, patient intake, vitals, evaluations, treatments, prescriptions and discharging (South University 2018b). Lastly, the students helped the clothing ministry provide hygiene kits and clothing (South University 2018b). It was a grand undertaking for the students, but it provided essential healthcare and supplies for the homeless.

This was not the only time in 2018 that students at South University in Virginia Beach volunteered to assist the underprivileged. During the summer of 2018, students in the Master of Nursing and Associate of Occupational Therapy Assistant worked with the Promethean Group (South University 2018a). The Promethean Group is a nonprofit organization that runs a mobile medical clinic in Hampton Roads (Promethean Group, n.d.). Together, they provided free primary medical care for local homeless and uninsured children (South University 2018a).

South University fosters an environment for students to provide free resources and services to local communities. Additionally, they gain hands-on experience in their fields. This supports South University’s mission “to provide a comprehensive education that instills within its students a philosophy that values not only learning and professionalism, but also contribution and commitment to the advancement of community” (South University 2022, under “Mission,” para. 3). This mission embodies the Vincentian vision to dedicate “intellectual and physical resources to search out the causes of poverty … and to encourage solutions that are adaptable, effective, and concrete” (St. John’s University 2022, para. 3). Additionally, they instill the Vincentian operational core values of opportunity and service (Angel, n.d., 2) and “the spirit of compassionate concern” (St. John’s University 2022, para. 3) into their students.

The photograph above depicts the dedication and care the students have shown to homeless and uninsured communities. Their actions are a reminder of the individual needs of underprivileged populations and how there are always opportunities to assist.

References

Angel, Christine M. n.d. “Information Representation through the Vincentian Lens of Transparency: Providing the Under and Misrepresented with a Voice within Our Cultural Heritage Records.” Evolution of Teaching Philosophy: 1-7. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qcJMPP6N6Mxq07J4ifsaWe4VQQ14JvgU/view.

Carballo, Rebecca. 2018. “Norfolk has Hampton Roads Highest Uninsured Population, but Medicaid Expansion Could Help.” The Virginian-Pilot. Last Modified on July 23, 2018. https://www.pilotonline.com/business/article_d12ceb6a-8b7c-11e8-8e4c-a7c5424c88d5.html.

Hammond, Sarah. 2022. “Hampton Roads is Working to Combat Homelessness, One Grant at a Time.” 13NewsNow. Last modified on March 18, 2022. https://www.13newsnow.com/article/news/local/mycity/virginia-beach/hampton-roads-working-to-combat-homelessness/291-c301fcdc-df7c-4226-8ffe-5fa31f80012d.

Promethean Group. n.d. “About.” Promethean Group. Accessed October 7, 2022. https://prometheangroup.org/about.

South University. 2018a. “South University, Virginia Beach Students And Faculty Members Help Provide Care Through Mobile Medical Clinic With Promethean Group.” Inside South University. Last modified August 28, 2018. https://inside.southuniversity.edu/south-university-virginia-beach-students-and-faculty-members-help-provide-care-through-mobile-medical-clinic-with-promethean-group/.

South University. 2018b. “Students Team Up To Assist At Clinic For The Homeless.” Inside South University. Last modified January 16, 2018. https://inside.southuniversity.edu/south-university-students-team-up-to-assist-at-clinic-for-the-homeless/.

South University. 2022. “Mission.” About South University. Last modified May 22, 2020. https://www.southuniversity.edu/about.

St. John’s University. 2022. “Our Mission.” St. John’s University. Last modified October 2015. https://www.stjohns.edu/about/history-and-facts/our-mission.

Virginia Tourism Corporation. 2022. “Coastal Virginia: Hampton Roads.” Virginia is for Lovers. Accessed October 7, 2022. https://www.virginia.org/places-to-visit/regions/hampton-roads/.