Dear Readers,
This edition of MCG Today introduces
you to people such as Terry Weaver, Helen
Cavitt and Heriberto Dominguez.
What the three of them have in
common is that they have no affiliation with
the Medical College of Georgia … other
than the fact that the university serves their
needs. Ms. Weaver, whose multiple health
problems have left her unable to work, is
a beneficiary of a School of Nursing grant
establishing an Augusta network linking
the medically underserved to health care.
“I never knew I was going to fall apart at 47
years old, but I’m lucky to have found the
help I have,” she says.
Ms. Cavitt, who is raising her niece’s
three children, is a beneficiary of the School
of Nursing Kinship Care Program, which
reaches out to non-parent caregivers.
Services include referrals to various
programs, one of which is a summer day
camp for the children. “That gave me some
peace of mind because I knew where they
were every day and I had a chance to get
some rest,” says Ms. Cavitt.
Heriberto, 6, recently sat in a dental
chair for the first time in his young life,
courtesy of a School of Dentistry clinic
for children of Spanish-speaking parents.
Everyone at the clinic speaks Spanish, so he
felt right at home.
These are just a few MCG programs
that reach directly into the community to
serve its neediest citizens. Outreach is a
central tenet of MCG’s mission, as outlined
in President Daniel W. Rahn’s 2007 State of
the University Address (see page 5). True,
Ms. Weaver, Ms. Cavitt and little Heriberto
have no direct affiliation with MCG—but
the university is proud to call them family.
We invite you to read their stories,
along with many others, in this edition of
MCG Today, which celebrates the university’s
role in helping people stand on their own
two feet.
–Editor