Faculty, fellows, residents and medical students from the George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences participated in a free health screening and educational event for veterans last month.
Held on Oct. 29 in the Redskins locker room at FedEx Field, the fourth-annual Time Out for Military Veterans Health Screening Event provided a variety of health screenings for veterans. George Washington faculty from the Department of Emergency Medicine, the Department of Urology and the Department of Ophthalmology volunteered at the event in Landover, Md., while the GW Medical Faculty Associates was an official event partner.
“I am truly proud of our faculty, residents and students who provided medical screening tests at this important event,” said Jeffrey Akman, interim vice provost for health affairs and SMHS dean. “Providing health information and screenings for our country’s veterans is one thing that we, as clinicians, can do to thank men and women who have given so much for our country. Exposing medical students to this type of service is a big part of learning to give back as a physician.”
Ten physicians from the emergency medicine department provided education and ultrasound screenings for abdominal aortic aneurysms for the veterans and their family members age 65 and older with a history of smoking or family history of abdominal aortic aneurysms. An abdominal aortic aneurysm is a weakened and bulging area in the lower part of the aorta, the major blood vessel that supplies blood to the body. If the aneurysm ruptures, life-threatening bleeding can occur. The GW group conducted 71 abdominal aortic examinations and identified three at-risk veterans with abnormal screening exams. This was the first time abdominal aortic aneurysm screenings were available at the event.
The urology department provided prostate exams, while the ophthalmology department conducted vision assessments. Other health screenings available were cholesterol, diabetes, blood pressure, osteoporosis, spirometry, body fat and grip strength.
“It is a great experience to give back to veterans and provide them with comprehensive screening tests,” said Hamid Shokoohi, assistant professor in the emergency medicine department. “Thanks to the efforts of our clinician volunteers and many others, the screening project was a great success, and we look forward to building on that success in the future to screen even more people.”