health fairs

On the SHC’s process identifying post-health fair follow-up needs in East Tennessee

Health Fairs, Community Clinics & Councils, Personal/Professional Growth, Stories / By

Rosie Hammond describes the Coalition’s process identifying cases in need of follow-up, be it subsequent visits to the nearby clinic in Clairfield, Tenn. (where Sister Martha Stucker conducted primary care), a referral for speciality care, or ongoing support from Frontier Nursing Service. Follow this link for full-footage of Margaret Ecker’s and Rosie Hammond’s reflections about …

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On training at Nashville General with Pete Moss and Bill Dow

Health Fairs, Community Clinics & Councils, Origin Stories, Stories / By

Rosie Hammond elaborates on her training prior to working in the mountains with the Coalition during the summer of 1971. She had met Bill Dow and received clinical mentoring from Pete Moss at Nashville General the year prior, explaining that she otherwise hadn’t yet completed any nursing courses. She details the experience as one which …

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Margaret Ecker’s introduction to the Coalition and its role in her shift of career pursuits

Health Fairs, Community Clinics & Councils, Origin Stories, Stories / By

Margaret Ecker describes her introduction to the Student Health Coalition during the summer of 1970. She had just graduated from Vanderbilt University with plans to pursue a law degree. Having not yet set the intention to pursue a career in the medical field instead, she worked as a community organizer and supported the identification of …

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Origins of the Douglas Community Health Center’s Board of Directors

Power and Politics in Health Care, Racial Disparities, Stories / By

Jean Carney recounts the story of how the Board of Directors for the Douglas Community Health Center in Stanton, Tenn. first came to be, as well as the role Irwin Venick‘s feasibility study played in determining the community’s need for a clinic.   Full footage of Jean Carney’s tour and narrative of the Douglas Community …

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Bill Dow in Smithville ,Tenn., 1970

Bill Dow

People, Student Health Coalition Participants, Theme: Expanding Practice, Theme: Expanding Practice - People, Theme: Health Care, Theme: Health Care - People, Theme: Organizing, Theme: Organizing - People, Themes / By

Bill Dow co-founded the Student Health Coalition while in medical school at Vanderbilt University, in 1969. His larger-than-life role in the SHC origin story and beyond warrants special telling, which we attempt in the essay that follows. Contributed by Margaret Ecker, compiled in collaboration with friends  Bill Dow energized a generation of student activists and …

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Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)

People, Supporting Organizations, Theme: Health Care, Theme: Health Care - People, Themes / By

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) provided support to the Student Health Coalition early on, beginning in 1970.  A TVA van traveled to the Coalition health fairs and included x-ray, lab facilities, and staff to run it.  Retired TVA vans eventually served as early clinic buildings in the communities where the Coalition worked. TVA is a …

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Odes and Shelby McKamey

Community Members, People, Theme: Health Care, Theme: Health Care - People, Theme: Organizing, Theme: Organizing - People, Themes / By

Odes and Shelby McKamey were among the most cherished local hosts for members of the SHC when the health fair arrived in their remote mountain community of Stoney Fork, Tenn. Later, after the Stoney Fork Clinic was established, the McKameys also housed and hosted visiting doctors who came to the clinic, including Tom John. Odes …

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Eula Hall

Community Members, People, Theme: Health Care, Theme: Health Care - People, Theme: Organizing, Theme: Organizing - People, Themes / By

A self-described “Hillbilly Activist”, Eula Hall (Pike County, Ky., 29 October 1927 –  Craynor, Ky., 8 May 2021) was a former Appalachian Volunteer and the leader of the “Eastern Kentucky Welfare Rights Organization” which invited the Student Health Coalition to bring a health fair to Mud Creek, Ky. in the summer of 1971. This was …

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