By Laura Otto
Sari Schulman had been eyeing one item all night. It wasn’t brunch for four at the Four Seasons Washington or the private wine tasting tour at Woodhall Wine Cellars in Maryland, or even the two round-trip tickets on JetBlue Airways. Those items were all on the auction block, waiting for the right bidder, but they were not for her.
Ms. Schulman coveted the promise of tapas and sangria for four with Charles Samenow, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at GW’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
“It would be so cool to pick his brain over dinner,” said Ms. Schulman, a first-year physician assistant student.
Ms. Schulman was one of many on Wednesday who dug deep into their pockets for that special item—and for a good cause—during the GW Healing Clinic’s Annual Charity Auction. The auction raised more than $25,000 to support the GW Healing Clinic’s operational expenses, including medical and lab supplies and facility costs. Students, faculty, local Foggy Bottom businesses and members of the GW community all donated items to the auction.
“This is such an exciting and fun way to raise money to support the GW Healing Clinic,” said SMHS Dean and Vice President for Health Affairs Jeffrey S. Akman, Walter A. Bloedorn Professor of Administrative Medicine. “It’s terrific to support our students who are doing such a wonderful thing in the community.”
Founded in 2006, the student-run GW Healing Clinic offers primary and preventive care, health education and counseling to Washington, D.C., residents regardless of insurance status or ability to pay. In 2007, the Association of American Medical Colleges, with funding from Pfizer Inc., awarded SMHS a Medicine in the Community Grant to open the Healing Clinic.
The clinic opened at Bread for the City, a nonprofit organization in Northwest D.C. that provides food, clothing, medical care, and legal and social services to underserved populations. The grant kept the clinic running for the first four years. Since the grant ended, students have been responsible for fundraising.
Auction co-chairs Kristy Hawley, Paul Kline and Aaron Murphy-Crews, all second-year SMHS medical students, said one purpose of this year’s event was to raise money to support the clinic’s efforts to open a second site in Prince George's County, Md. The Healing Clinic has reached a preliminary agreement with the PG County Department of Health to offer clinical and preventative care at a new clinic located on the Prince George’s County/D.C. border. This new initiative is important because “there are nearly 40,000 residents in this area with no or limited access to primary care,” Mr. Kline said. The new clinic is slated to open next fall.
As faculty adviser for the 2013–14 Healing Clinic Steering Committee, Lisa M. Alexander, assistant dean for community-based partnerships, interim chair and program director of the PA program at SMHS, was most excited about the student turnout at the event.
“Faculty has always been supportive but it is really heartwarming to see the number of students here,” she said. “They are the future, and their show of support tonight tells me that they understand what it means to make a commitment to something.”