Another Fruitful Season for ColumbiaDoctors Outreach
ColumbiaDoctors Outreach wrapped up their second season of tabling at the Fort Washington Greenmarket on September 17, 2024, having reached more than 1,200 people.
The day’s theme was Healthy Snacks, and visitors to the booth could taste fruit sushi and get the recipe, munch on fresh local apples, and have their health questions answered by experienced nurses and nurse practitioners.
A collaboration between ColumbiaDoctors Nurse Practitioner Group (NPG) and CUIMC, ColumbiaDoctors Outreach was launched in 2022 to expand access to primary care for the medical center’s faculty and staff, as well as the local community.
Columbia Nursing faculty, NPG clinicians, and Family Nurse Practitioner Program students have been tabling at the Greenmarket since 2023. Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program students participated this year, tabling on Brain and Mental Health Day, and Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Program students were on hand for Healthy Snacks Day.
Other themes for 2024 included skin cancer, children’s health awareness, men’s health, heart health, lung health, breast cancer awareness, HPV/cervical cancer awareness, and oral health.
Free BP screening for all
The ColumbiaDoctors Outreach team also offers free blood pressure screening at every tabling event, drawing many seniors who stop by after a popular outdoor Zumba class on the block.
Tabling at the farmers market is a great opportunity for nursing students to practice their clinical and counseling skills, notes Associate Professor and Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs Maura Abbott, PhD. “Not only are they doing the blood pressure measurements, they are advising patients. It’s just them, talking to people right up there.”
Abbott was at the booth on September 17 with PNP Program Director and Associate Professor Sabrina Opiola McCauley, DNP ’10; Associate Professor Clare Cardo McKegney, DNP ’08; and Senior Practice Manager Diana Hernandez. Assistant Professor Jane Chaiyasit, DNP ’17, and NPG Senior Practice Coordinator Tess Sky also staff the booth regularly.
Many people who stop by the booth decide to choose ColumbiaDoctors NPG for their primary care, including a policeman who grew up in the neighborhood and learned he had hypertension after he stopped by for a blood pressure check, Abbott notes.
ColumbiaDoctors Outreach will be back at the Fort Washington Greenmarket for the 2025 season.