First-year students at the Medical College of Georgia donned their white coats Saturday as they gathered in the courtyard of the Garden City Rescue Mission to consult with some of their first patients.
The doctors-in-training set up stations on the shelter's grounds to help about 60 of Augusta's homeless with services such as foot care, personal hygiene, hand sanitation, nutrition and mental health advice.
"You need to know your science and book stuff, but one of the most important parts of being a doctor is connecting with people," said Laura Harrison, the community service chairwoman for MCG's first-year class.
The rescue mission, located on Fenwick Street, provides food, counseling services and shelter for the night for men.
The class of 2013 hopes to continue its service projects during the year with about one a month. Ms. Harrison said the students would like to expand the health fair and possibly get physicians involved next time to expand the services available.
"We've got a lot of ideas and feedback," Ms. Harrison said. "This was our first go-round, but hopefully we'll make some adjustments next time."
The medical students gave information to participants and tried to target common problems, said Chike Akoh, the community service chairman.
Dental hygiene students also talked to some of the homeless about oral health.
"We wanted to provide people with pertinent information," Mr. Akoh said.
Reach Erin Zureick at (706) 823-3217 or erin.zureick@augustachronicle.com.
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