Contact: Will Sansom
Phone: (210) 567-2579
E-mail: Sansom@uthscsa.edu

Kristi Whitenton, M.D., a pediatrics resident at the Health Science Center, describes her numerous hours in the pediatric clinic at KellyUSA as extremely rewarding.
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They say that in every cloud, there is a silver lining. Last fall, Hurricane Katrina caused immense damage and turned thousands of lives upside down. Yet in the response to Katrina refugees in San Antonio, a silver lining emerged: the compassionate service of hundreds of Health Science Center medical, nursing, dental and allied health students.

They went cot by cot in the Kelly 171 refugee shelter doing health evaluations. They set up a dental clinic. They helped secure prescriptions. They triaged the victims, assessed vital signs and provided patient education. They checked in for service after all-night rotations and while studying for major exams. They even helped Katrina survivors to navigate paper trails and re-establish their identities through important documents.

They worked around the clock. They touched lives and hearts.

For their many selfless contributions to the health and well-being of refugees of Hurricane Katrina, the United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County recently bestowed a Volunteer of the Year Award in the Group in Service – Agency category to the students of the Health Science Center. The award description states: “Throughout the intense effort, these students contributed in remarkable ways, lifting up the spirits of all around them, while never surrendering their composure, their professionalism or their compassion.”

The San Antonio Express-News reported that about 1,000 people attended the awards ceremony at the Convention Center.

“The Health Science Center is pleased to be a part of a community that opened its hands and hearts to help the hurricane survivors,” said Francisco G. Cigarroa, M.D., president. “I am so proud of our students who worked around the clock in a unified and selfless manner to help those in need. This is true heroism and health care at its very best.”