Dr. Vanessa Duren-Whitfield provides instruction to one of her "coaches."
Dr. Vanessa Duren-Winfield, research director for the School of Health Sciences, helped create the COACH program, which stands for “Champions for Outreach and Advocacy for Community Health.” Ten students recently became SHCs, or Student Health Coaches, and took their message of positive health outreach to the community.
The program’s mission revolves around positively impacting the health of not only students on Winston-Salem State University’s (WSSU) campus, but also in the local community.
But Duren-Winfiled doesn’t see the COACH program as a one-time event – she wants to see the program become an established part of the curriculum at WSSU.
“I’d like to see course credit given for participation. We’ve already recruited new students for this fall. I want this to become something that we can make sustainable,” she said.
The COACH program is sponsored by the School of Health Sciences and Living Healthy Partners. The program was an outgrowth of last year’s Homecoming theme of “Rams Have Heart,” and provided a full battery of health screenings for nearly 100 students and almost 70 members of the community.
One important aspect of this program is the dedication that students bring to the table for this program. Duren-Winfield said she has a feeling she knows why the SHCs have developed such a deep dedication to the program: many of the students can relate to the health screenings because of similar health issues in their lives, or those of a close family member.
A student COACH gives a WSSU staff member a blood pressure check.
The range of tests that the SHCs ran included BMI (body mass index) tests, Hyperlipidemia tests (measuring lipid levels in the bloodstream), and EKGs to test heart health.
A student COACH shares information with other students.
A non-profit organization called Living Healthy Partners also helped out by sponsoring the program. The organization is the brainchild of Dr. Archie Roberts, a retired heart surgeon and former NFL football player.
Duren-Winfield excitedly spoke about Roberts’ input into the program. She noted that Roberts actually sought out WSSU as a new partner for his outreach program, going so far as to fly in from New Jersey to meet with campus leaders and help establish the new chapter at WSSU.
Duren-Winfield also pointed out that there was great support from the local community in helping to get the word out about WSSU’s unique program. Advertisements were run on TV stations WXII-12 and News 14 Carolina, print ads appeared in The Winston-Salem Chronicle, and radio spots ran on the Tom Joyner morning show. In addition, a website was built that focused on the recruitment of potential SHCs.
“We use a variety of educational techniques for the training, including community resources such as the Forsyth County Health Department, website modules and our own faculty,” Duren-Winfield said.
Duren-Winfield closed by saying that she believes the program will not only make an impression on the WSSU campus, but will continue to touch the lives of those close to the SHCs and their communities.
