Group to help in W. Va.

A pre-medical organization received funding for a trip during spring break from Student… A pre-medical organization received funding for a trip during spring break from Student Government Board last Thursday to provide medical assistance and motivation for people with disadvantaged backgrounds.

The Pre-Medical Organization for Minority Students – an organization at Pitt that does service in medically related areas – will travel to Logan, W. Va., to take blood pressures and give urinalysis tests to medically high-risk people.

Veronica Jarido, a Pre-Medical Organization for Minority Students representative, estimated that 15 people will travel to Logan from Mar. 5-12.

Jarido said the group members will benefit from this kind of service trip because they will become more willing to work in underdeveloped areas once they become doctors.

In addition to providing medical assistance, the group will also try to encourage youth and high school students to go to college.

“We were able to convince a lot of people [last year] to go college who wouldn’t have,” Jarido said.

The Pre-Medical Organization for Minority Students will also try to educate high school students about race relations and the history of certain communities.

Jarido said that by interviewing elderly members of the communities, they gain information about the town and pass it along to the students.

“We are able to preserve history that would have been lost otherwise,” she said.