BUFFALO, N.Y. — The University of Buffalo is hosting a free clinic for students in grades K-12 that need sports physicals.
Under the supervision of physician volunteers from UB and the community, parents whose children are playing sports this year can take advantage of free sports physicals at the Seneca-Babcock Community Center Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
No appointments are necessary and there will be no vaccinations available at the event.
“Sports are a great way for students to learn teamwork and become physically active,” said Jessica S. Kruger, Ph.D., clinical assistant professor of community health and health behavior in the School of Public Health and Health Professions at UB.
According to the news release, the Lighthouse Free Medical Clinic is the student-managed clinic of UB’s health sciences units, including the Jacobs School and the School of Public Health and Health Professions. William Blymire, MD, clinical assistant professor of internal medicine and pediatrics in the Jacobs School and a physician with UBMD Internal Medicine, is the clinic’s medical director.
“Yet many families face barriers to getting a school physical,” she said. “These barriers can be time, access, affordability, or other competing demands. At the Lighthouse Free Medical Clinic, our mission is to serve the uninsured and underinsured in Buffalo. The purpose of this event, held in conjunction with the Seneca-Babcock Community Association, is to help reduce these barriers and serve the community.”
UB students who participate will be learning skills related to interprofessional collaboration, a key component of their health sciences education at UB, said Kruger.
“Teamwork is key in health care and by working together we can serve the community and instill these values,” she said. “Working with underserved communities has a lasting impact on students and those who start working with underserved populations early in their careers tend to want to continue to work in those communities in the future.”
