Arabi church organization offers health screenings to Sunbelt Ag Expo crowd
Oct. 19—MOULTRIE — In more than 20 years of bringing a mobile medical testing facility to the Sunbelt Ag Expo, the Adventist Community Services/South Georgia has provided services to more than 10,000 attendees.
Most times, the blood sugar, cholesterol and other screenings give a clean bill of health or less serious issues, but on more than one occasion the personnel have "literally had an ambulance take patients to the hospital from our tent for open-heart surgery," saving the patient's life, according to a staff member.
This week, volunteers from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Moultrie campus were performing the tests for the Arabi-based organization that is sponsored by the Seventh Day Adventist Church.
"I love helping people," Randall Sheffield, a Dougherty Comprehensive High School and Albany State University graduate in his second year of medical school in Moultrie, said. "I think it's important being a part of the community. We're learning our skills, such as blood pressure."
The test results for most of the Expo crowd he had seen were "pretty normal," Sheffield said. Those whose results indicated the potential for future health issues are instructed on how to address them by Dr. Richard Chase, who was overseeing the efforts on Wednesday.
A major goal of the Philadelphia-based college's expansion into southwest Georgia is to train doctors who will remain in the area or practice in other rural locations.
After moving to Moultrie from Florida, where she grew up and received degrees from the University of South Florida, Sara Meawad said she sees the need for medical professionals in those locations.
"I am all for underserved and rural areas," Meawad, who worked at a farm worker medical program in Bainbridge over the summer, said. "I kind of like it being quiet and slow. It's kind of nice not being in the traffic. I've enjoyed my time in Moultrie."
The second-year student said she also learned a bit about agriculture as she got to see the workers harvest tomatoes and corn.
"There were a lot of musculoskeletal issues, like lower back pain," she said. "I like volunteering in general. It's something I really enjoy doing."
The largest number of Expo attendees who stopped by the tent was more than 700 one year prior to the arrival of COVID-19. In the two years since the cancellation of the annual farm show in 2020, that number has been about 200.
Adventist Community Services also provides food to elderly residents in southwest Georgia.
Colquitt Regional Medical Center also operates a booth at the show dedicated to breast cancer awareness.
