Each August, incoming medical and health professions students participate in a community service event at P. B. Young, Sr., Elementary School in the Young Terrace neighborhood of Norfolk. Young Terrace is considered to be in the poorest 1% of neighborhoods in the U.S. It is home to over 700 families and is the largest community-housing neighborhood in Norfolk.
This event, known as Community Impact Day, provides experiential learning to new EVMS students on their second day of orientation as they work alongside EVMS senior leaders to prepare the elementary school for the new academic year. The project also introduces students to local issues relating to social justice, health equity and determinants of health. Interdisciplinary impact teams are formed before the event. Each team is made up of one EVMS facilitator and 13 to 15 incoming students, representing both the School of Medicine and School of Health Professions. A coordinator from P.B. Young Elementary is assigned to each team to provide on-site instruction, project-specific supplies and oversight.
