Health & Wellness
Preventive care and a healthy lifestyle are critical to realizing our hopes and dreams.
Typically, service jobs are part-time and workers are not eligible for employer-paid health insurance.
Given the high cost of insurance, low-wage workers are either uninsured or underinsured and defer seeking medical help until they face an emergency or a crisis.
Health & Wellness Events and Programs
Worker surveys identified healthcare as a priority need. The College of Pharmacy students accepted REACH’s challenge to create pop-up clinics in break rooms around campus. During 15-minute personal consultations, they tested workers’ A1C, BMI, Heart Rate, Blood Pressure, and provided Health System Navigation information.
Next, REACH increased its capacity to serve by implementing new partnerships with students from Texas A&M’s Schools of Pharmacy, Public Health, Nursing, and Agriculture who staff a series of single-purpose clinics and Family Health & Wellness Fairs each semester that include:
Our Partners
Programming to attain and sustain individual and family Wellness is designed and delivered by students and faculty from the following colleges and departments.
Our Health & Wellness Programs in Action
Ever resourceful, during the 3 semesters that COVID-19 forced hundreds of worker layoffs and furloughs, REACH recruited more provider partners and volunteers.
Using a drive-thru delivery model, we continued providing these basic, and additional services, to more than 750 families and their 3,250 family members without interruption.
The REACH Health & Wellness Center – Coming Fall 2022!
The need for a more systematic approach to providing basic healthcare led to the construction of a Health and Wellness Center. Thanks to the inestimable leadership of Dr. Regina Beard, REACH is launching its student-run and student-staffed Health & Wellness Center, offering free services to the greater uninsured community. It is led by student directors and staffed by volunteer clinicians, students, and faculty under the supervision of the Program Director who oversees the training and management of volunteers.
Clinic Services
The Clinic provides preventive healthcare, education, resources, and referrals to local medical and dental clinics, hospitals and social service organizations. Services include:
REACH Health & Wellness Leadership & Committee Members
The REACH Health & Wellness Advisory Board, under the leadership of Dr. Regina Beard, Dr. Hector Chappa, Dr. Jerry Carrino, Ms. Chris Kaunas, and Ms. Susie Van, is a representative body that has transformed the REACH vision of a free clinic into a model of interprofessional teams delivery. The Advisory Board is charged with overseeing the development, implementation, and evaluation of all REACH Health & Wellness programs, and is composed of Texas A&M faculty, staff, and students, local healthcare providers, and community leaders.
Leadership
We’re Extending Our REACH
The REACH Program is currently looking at expanding to other university campuses throughout the United States. If you’re interested in learning more about how the REACH program can support your community, email us.
