Club Highlight: Health Literacy
Last year, the Health Literacy Club was founded by Dev Patel and Divya Ramani, quickly gaining traction and attracting over 20 members in its first year. The club was founded with the objectives of teaching members about health equity and helping the Greater Birmingham area, where several communities are designated as “Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs)” due to limited healthcare resources.
That is the gap the club hopes to bridge. Last year, the club organized several projects to help spread health literacy and provide resources to these underserved communities. The first project of the year was a water bottle drive with United Ability, a nonprofit providing disability services. Hydration is often taken for granted, and the impact dehydration has on the body is not fully understood by many people. Several club members created dehydration awareness brochures, which were placed inside the bottles, educating each individual who received one.
The second project was a toiletry kit drive. Club members formed an assembly line for the supplies, with one member putting toothpaste into a large Ziploc bag, another adding mouthwash, and others adding additional supplies. The completed kits were distributed to the local Ronald McDonald House, which houses families with sick children during their time of need.
The club also distributed concussion brochures at football games, had the opportunity to meet with Dr. Courtney Rabbit, a nutritionist, and created caffeine brochures for a community outreach initiative with Pizitz Middle School, spreading awareness among middle school students about caffeine and the importance of moderation.
This year, the club has a new project, and it is looking for support from every student at Vestavia Hills High School. Myopia in Alabama is prevalent and often under-supported. Alabama reportedly ranks eighth worst in the U.S. for visual acuity loss, and there needs to be more effort to bridge this gap. This year, the club is collecting glasses of all kinds: prescription glasses, reading glasses, sunglasses, anything helps! Partnering with local optometrist offices and organizations, the club is looking to refurbish glasses, regardless of condition, for underserved populations across Alabama. At Vestavia, students are actively setting up a drive to collect spare glasses from fellow students. Students are reaching out to VNN, Muse, Pillar, and other school media outlets to support the cause. Currently, each student is assigned a specific task for the project. One is creating flyers to advertise the glasses drive, another is coordinating times to promote the project, while others are making brochures for myopia awareness. Each member is also reaching out to their personal eye doctors to gain support for the initiative!
The members are putting in the work, but most importantly, we need you, the students! Have an old pair of glasses sitting in a drawer? Your unused glasses could make a difference for someone struggling with their vision. Come support the Health Literacy Club in the coming weeks by donating your spare glasses. Even one pair can make a huge difference!
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