CONTACT: Gail Bellamy, 850-644-3454; 304-543-2138; gail.bellamy@med.fsu.edu
Doug Carlson, 850-694-3735; doug.carlson@med.fsu.edu
May 31, 2017
BUS TRIPS GIVE FSU MEDICAL STUDENTS GLIMPSE OF RURAL MEDICINE
Friday, first-year College of Medicine students will board buses and fan out across North Florida to explore rural health care. It’s the FSU College of Medicine Rural Learning Experience (RuLE), sponsored by the Florida Blue Foundation. The idea is to increase students’ familiarity with rural health – and the possibility that they’ll practice rural medicine – by exposing them early to rural communities and health providers.
This year four buses will depart, each with 30 first-year students, several second-year students, several master’s students, plus faculty and staff from the College of Medicine. The destinations are:
• Bristol in Liberty County and Blountstown in Calhoun County.
• Madison in Madison County.
• Perry in Taylor County.
• Quincy in Gadsden County.
In addition to visiting rural hospitals, health departments, and medical and dental practices, they will meet and hear from primary-care physicians (including College of Medicine alumni), nurse practitioners, administrators, community leaders, and second-year medical students who participated in the 2016 RuLE. Bus trips will take place:
FRIDAY, JUNE 2
TO INTERVIEW PARTICIPANTS BEFORE THEY LEAVE TALLAHASSEE
Interview and photo opportunities:
8:05 A.M. (MADISON)
8:10 A.M. (BRISTOL)
8:10 A.M. (QUINCY)
8:40 A.M. (PERRY)
FSU COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
1115 W. CALL ST., TALLAHASSEE
(All buses expected to return around 4-5:30 p.m.)
Directions: From downtown, travel west on Tennessee Street and turn left on Stadium Drive. The College of Medicine is at Stadium and Call Street. Press parking will be available by RSVP.
TO INTERVIEW PARTICIPANTS IN THE RURAL COMMUNITIES
Join the groups between 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. in any of the towns listed above. Call or text a trip coordinator in the town of your choice. Here is the contact information:
BRISTOL: Brigitta Nuccio, 850-693-0789
MADISON: Terri Johnson, 850-544-0022
PERRY: Gail Bellamy, 304-543-2138
QUINCY: Susan LaJoie, 850-294-1450
Visit /ruralhealth/home for more on the rural health programs.
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