Costa Layman Health Fair continues to thrive with its services

Following a momentous 20th anniversary celebration last year, Augusta University’s partnership with Costa Farms remains stronger than ever as colleges, departments and community organizations joined together at the farm. On July 10, seasonal farmworkers in Trenton, South Carolina, received potentially life-saving health care, education and resources.

Pam Cromer, DNP, and College of Nursing alumna Debbie Layman have played a monumental role in the success of the fair since its conception in 2005. Through their continued friendship and partnership, the health fair has grown to include interdisciplinary efforts from the College of Allied Health Sciences, Dental College of Georgia, College of Science and Mathematics, The Graduate School, University Libraries, Georgia Cancer Center, Critical Event Preparedness and Response, Medical College of Georgia, the Ryan White Program, CURS, Jaguar Jumpstart Program, Institute of Public and Preventive Health, Wellstar MCG Health and the Georgia Prevention Institute.

Layman, the recipient of the 2025 University System of Georgia Regents’ Hall of Fame Alumni and Distinguished Friends Award for her long-standing service to Augusta University and students across the state, began the partnership with the College of Nursing’s Dean Emerita Lucy Marion to allow for a day that workers of what was then Layman Nurseries could participate in a day of wellness. As a past president of the AU Foundation, she has consistently shown her passion for elevating the university.

Cromer is the Costa Layman International Health Fair and Community Engagements Director for the College of Nursing. She was recently inducted into the Georgia Nursing Hall of Fame in large part due to the impact she’s had through her work with the health fair for the past 21 years. In fact, the Costa Layman Health Fair is one of AU’s health-focused events that directly contributed to the university earning the Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement.

“This program is a gem for service-learning and rural healthcare delivery,” said Cromer. “The students’ participation makes them part of this legacy, and our hope is to enrich their clinical expertise and provide public health awareness of the role they play as future healthcare providers.”

An enduring aspect of the event is to also provide hands-on training for students, not only in the Doctor of Nursing Practice programs, but across the university. This year, with the assistance of 25 Spanish bilinguals and interpreters, around 125 AU faculty, staff and students provided care to an estimated 218 farmworkers.

The event offers opportunities for students to provide various screenings, interact with vulnerable patient populations and volunteer as medical interpreters if able. This year’s volunteers have expanded to include five students from the Department of English and World Languages, thanks to the recruitment efforts of Vivian Rice, Wellstar MCG Health’s Office of Interpretation and Translation Services manager.

In addition, the Bachelor of Science Nursing class of 2027 was represented by its student leadership organization president, Glo Roberson.

“I was excited to help promote this volunteer opportunity and encourage student involvement,” Roberson said. “The health fair is an incredible experience for our students to engage in community outreach, collaborate with other healthcare disciplines and learn more about providing care outside of traditional clinical settings.”

Among other student groups, the Jaguar Jumpstart students, coordinated by Elizabeth Huggins, PhD, director of First and Second Year Experiences, were paired with interdisciplinary teams, allowing them to get real-world exposures to the career opportunities available as they decide their choice of majors upon graduating high school.

The multidisciplinary nature of the event is valuable to all students, especially undergraduates, as they get to work alongside MSN and DNP students, faculty and learners from a variety of health professions across AU and the interprofessional teams of experts convened for purposes to promote the health and well-being of the rural community.

Along with hands-on clinical experiences, the event provides an opportunity for students to implement their DNP projects. This year, Family Nurse Practitioner students are focused on mitigation of health risks associated with a myriad of issues, including chagas disease, marijuana and CV disease, diabetes and tobacco use.

“Students who have participated in the past consistently describe it as one of the most rewarding outreach experiences of their nursing education,” said Jake Higgins, PhD, interim chair of the prelicensure department. “It’s a great opportunity for networking, interprofessional collaboration, team building, and gaining a broader perspective on meeting patients where they are, literally and figuratively, on their health and wellness journey.”

Critical screenings provided by students and their faculty included blood pressure and diabetes, screenings for vision, dental, nutrition and other wellness resources. Patients are then able to receive follow-up care and referrals if needed. Each farmworker is also able to get a full blood panel done, provided by Wellstar MCG Health on either lab day or during the fair. In addition, Wellstar MCG Health provided team members from cardiology, the trauma program and the stroke prevention program, as well as lactation specialists to provide medical screenings, share evidence-based health information and engage with community members.

According to Cromer, the impact of the health fair is both extraordinary and far-reaching. Farmworkers rely on this outreach to receive their annual comprehensive health assessments and individualized consultations. Students gain hands-on experience while mastering evidence-based screening techniques and developing the clinical competencies needed to improve public health outcomes for vulnerable populations. Faculty and student scholarship provide opportunities for future research, grant funding, expanded community support and lasting partnerships.

The commitment of university collaborators, community leaders, donors, and partner organizations has remained steadfast and continues to grow each year. Together, these collaborative efforts strengthen access to worksite healthcare and help reduce unnecessary emergency department utilization, contributing to improved health outcomes and potential cost savings for the surrounding healthcare system.

The health fair gained notoriety for the longitudinal “CHARM Study,” led by principal investigator Yanbin Dong, MD which characterizes the cardiometabolic risks of Hispanic farmworkers in the Southeast. This multidisciplinary study team is a collaboration from 12 different healthcare professionals that have produced more than 16 different peer-reviewed publications, abstracts and presentations since 2013.

“From Wellstar MCG Health’s perspective, we are proud to support this effort by bringing a multidisciplinary team focused on prevention, education, and early identification of health concerns,” said Mark Schreiber, who is the AVP of Nursing Operations at Wellstar MCG Health.

“We view this collaboration as an extension of our mission to improve the health and well-being of the communities we serve, and we appreciate the chance to work alongside our partners to make a meaningful impact. We have a longstanding relationship with the College of Nursing and Costa Layman and look forward to continuing this well into the future.”