FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Gail Bellamy
(850) 644-2373; gail.bellamy@med.fsu.edu

Doug Carlson
(850) 694-3735; doug.carlson@med.fsu.edu

May 28, 2014

BUS TRIPS GIVE MEDICAL STUDENTS GLIMPSE OF RURAL MEDICINE

Florida State University College of Medicine first-year students will board buses Friday and fan out across North Florida to explore rural health care.

The idea behind the FSU College of Medicine Rural Leadership Experience (RuLE), sponsored by the Florida Blue Foundation, 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. Nearly 20 percent of FSU College of Medicine alumni currently practicing in Florida are in rural areas.

This year, four buses each will depart with 30 first-year students, plus faculty and staff from the College of Medicine, other FSU colleges and Florida A&M University. The destinations are:

Blountstown in Calhoun County, where they will visit Calhoun Liberty Hospital for an interprofessional case study, panel discussion and tour, along with RiverTown Community Church for a social event.
Crawfordville for a visit to the Wakulla County Health Department.
Quincy and Havana in Gadsden County, where they will visit the county health department, a local hospital, migrant center and a school-based primary care clinic. At the school-based health clinic, the College of Medicine provides hundreds of children each year the only primary care they receive.
Monticello in Jefferson County, where they will visit the county health department and hear from a panel of health-care providers at the First United Methodist Church.
In addition to visiting rural hospitals, health departments and medical practices, students will meet and hear from primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, administrators, community leaders and second-year medical students who participated in the 2013 tour of rural communities. Buses will depart:

FRIDAY, MAY 30

8:15 A.M. (MONTICELLO and QUINCY)

8:30 A.M. (BLOUNTSTOWN)

8:45 A.M. (CRAWFORDVILLE)

(All buses are expected to return around 3:30 p.m.)

FSU COLLEGE OF MEDICINE

1115 W. CALL ST.

TALLAHASSEE, FLA.

Directions to the College of Medicine: From downtown Tallahassee, travel west on Tennessee Street and turn left on Stadium Drive. The College of Medicine is at Stadium and Call Street. Media parking will be available by RSVP.

Visit /ruralhealth for more information about the College of Medicine’s rural health programs.

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