Cleveland Chiropractic College once again answered the call to serve others as a large contingent of Clevelanders participated in the 4th Annual Touchdown Family Fest, July 19 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. Sponsored by Truman Medical Center (TMC), the day-long event offered free, basic health care services to those in need, including dental and vision screenings for children and adults, as well as adult physicals and youth sports physicals. This is the second year Cleveland has partnered with TMC for this popular community event.
More than 75 student interns from the College were on-site, as well as 16 clinicians, and four staff members. The Cleveland team stayed busy throughout the day conducting more than 300 physicals. It was an excellent opportunity to give back to people from around the city, while allowing the interns to gain additional experience.
Dr. Robert Moore, clinic director of the Cleveland Chiropractic College Health Center, was extremely pleased with those who took part, and offered high praise for the entire Cleveland team.
“All of the clinicians were awesome and the interns were Incredible,” Moore said. “It is community service outings like this that elevate our profession in the eyes of the public as well as the medical profession.”
Linda Gerdes, community outreach manager for the health center, planned extensively with Moore and Dr. Debra Robertson-Moore to prepare for the health fair. Although the commitment of time and energy were substantial, the results were worth the effort.
“There is a lot of time and work involved in organizing and planning such a large event,” Gerdes said. “But when you see all the people you are helping, it makes all the hard work worth it, and hopefully teaches the interns to have a servant heart when they go into practice.”
Cleveland student, Angie Conway, was one of the interns that worked at the health fair. She was pleased to be a part of this important event because it was a way to help those that needed it the most.
“Some kids were there to be cleared to play sports, and some people were there just to be examined because we were the only doctors they could afford to see,” Conway said. “It meant a lot to be able to give back to the community and everybody was so happy and grateful that we were there.”
Moore commended the efforts of Robertson-Moore, Gerdes, the health center staff, and all of the interns who participated. The skill and professionalism displayed by all involved did not go unnoticed.
“The organizers from Truman Medical Center were once again pleased with our efforts and are looking forward to working with us again next year,” Moore said.
In addition to health screenings, there was live entertainment and an appearance by six-time Olympic medalist and track star, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, who led a stretching exercise, visited with fans and posed for photos. Others special guests in attendance were Kansas City Royals Hall-of-Famer, Frank White, as well as members of the Kansas City Chiefs and the Chiefs cheerleaders.
