Serving our Community
By: Nickhil A. Rugnath
Over the last six months, our department has participated in numerous acts of community service. We all give of ourselves tirelessly while at work but our impact does not just exist at the hospital and with our patients. As a group our impact should go much further than that; indeed it should deeply affect our community as well.
Drs. Caroline Walker, Joseph King, Renira Rugnath and Michelle Sheth assisted with a health fair at Lanier High School. The Health Disparities team with Jackson Community Response (JCR), a club created by UMMC medical students to provide health education and make essential needs more accessible throughout the Jackson community, helped to host the event. Multiple other non-profits collaborated to host the event, with the HD team members and Anesthesiologists providing mental health education and resources, fitness activities, complementary wellness exams and BP screenings, and personal hygiene care kits. The event was such a big hit, and it would not have been so successful without the support of the department.
UMMC’s Department of Anesthesiology has been serving the health care needs of the Jackson community for decades, providing excellent anesthetic care. To further affirm this mission of service, the Anesthesiology department held their first annual service day project at the Mississippi Food Network warehouse on Sat 9/09/2023 from 9am-12 pm. Faculty, staff, and residents packed various boxes of cans and dry food items, to be delivered to the elderly with mobility issues. We had 48 anesthesiology staff and family volunteer their time performing various tasks in sequence from making the boxes to filling them with items, then finally sealing them and placing them on pellets. As a result, the department packed 23 pellets, 1150 boxes, and 36,000 pounds of food (a record for fastest time per pellet), beating the MS STATE football team who had previously held this record. These boxes will provide 30,667 meals to those in need of help during a difficult time. Teamwork, trust, and passion are critical components of a highly functioning team, and the department was so proud of their combined efforts, filling the hearts of all of those who participated. To finish off a wonderful day, the department celebrated their new title over lunch, further strengthening bonds within the department and showing what can be accomplished when we work together towards a common goal. We will be repeating a service day in the Spring of 2024 and would encourage staff who may not have had the opportunity to sign up and serve. We look forward to defending our title and serving the needs of the community!
