Med Students Support Community at Annual Block Party

Service learning is deeply ingrained in the Albany Medical College curriculum. Medical professionals provide the best care when they are connected to the communities their patients call home. The 21st annual Dr. Pamela Harper Community Block Party (formerly known as the Sheridan Hollow Community Block Party) brought more than 70 Albany Medical College students to a city neighborhood to organize free health education and screenings, music, free healthy food and school supplies, and family friendly activities for neighbors.

More than 70 College volunteers supported the event, which is hosted by CDPHP and New Jerusalem Home of the Saved Church. Students demonstrated hands-only CPR, provided free bike helmets, led games and exercises to encourage healthy movement, and shared information on various topics such as tobacco prevention and cessation, oral health, first aid, and more.

Theresa Weinman, academic coordinator in the Department of Family & Community Medicine, said, “For more than 10 years, our medical students, faculty, and staff have come out to support this incredible community event. They are so passionate about providing health education to their new community and sharing their skills and knowledge with the families of Sheridan Hollow.”

More than 600 community members attended the block party on Sheridan Avenue. The event was renamed in 2023 in memory of late local minister and community advocate Pamela Harper, PhD.