Students offer health screenings for farmworkers

Every summer, students at Augusta University offer free personalized and preventative health screenings, education and services to farmworkers in rural South Carolina.

In 12 years, they’ve provided more than 3,000 screenings. It’s part of a long history of service, said Dr. Lucy Marion, dean of the Augusta University College of Nursing, which kicks off a celebration of its 75^th anniversary this summer.

“After 75 years of serving local communities, the College of Nursing is proud to offer in-depth health assessments and services to workers and learning experiences to our students again this year,” Marion said.

On Friday, students return to the farm for the 12^th annual Costa Layman Health Fair. Media interviews are available from 7:30 to 9 a.m., Friday, July 14, at Costa Layman Farms, 73 Greenhouse Road, Trenton, S.C.

Hundreds of farm employees will have access to bilingual health information and screenings, including lab work; skin, vision, dental, respiratory, blood pressure, HIV and bone density screenings; nutrition counseling; and occupational and physical therapy.

“After a dozen years of intense focus on the population health of international farm workers, College of Nursing professor Dr. Pam Cromer and distinguished alumna Ms. Debbie Layman continue to lead in the annual Costa Layman Health Fair,” Marion said.

In addition to students, faculty and alumni of the College of Nursing, screenings are supported by the Georgia Prevention Institute, Medical College of Georgia, Dental College of Georgia, College of Allied Health Sciences, Institute of Public and Preventative Health, the Ryan White Program, Georgia Cancer Center, Robert B. Greenblatt, MD Library, Interpreter and Translator Services, as well as community volunteers, local farmers, Edgefield County Emergency Ambulance Services, Carolina Health Centers and William Clyburn Center for Primary Care.