As community health challenges grow increasingly complex, traditional siloed approaches to healthcare prove inadequate. The integration of diverse resources and the cultivation of healthcare professionals with cross-disciplinary collaboration skills have emerged as critical solutions. The Rutgers Health Service Corps (RHSC) stands as an exemplary response to this pressing need.
RHSC: Leading the Way in Community Service
Founded on Rutgers University's profound recognition of community health service importance, RHSC has established itself as a leader in practical community health improvement. Unlike conventional volunteer organizations, RHSC operates as a sophisticated system that effectively mobilizes university students, faculty, and staff while collaborating with top medical professionals and partner organizations.
This interdisciplinary approach enables RHSC to deliver comprehensive services across critical health areas, including hypertension and diabetes screening and management, along with cancer prevention education. The program traces its origins to the COVID-19 pandemic when Rutgers students demonstrated remarkable initiative in vaccination efforts, laying the foundation for what would become a more structured and professional community service initiative.
Interprofessional Education: The Core of RHSC's Value
Rutgers University integrates community service as an essential educational component, with RHSC serving as a vital platform for students to deepen their understanding of health issues while gaining invaluable interprofessional experience. Through RHSC activities, students apply academic knowledge in real-world community settings, enhancing clinical skills and developing problem-solving capabilities for complex health challenges.
The program brings together students from various health disciplines—including nursing, pharmacy, and medical schools—creating opportunities for collaborative learning that mirror professional healthcare environments. During health screening events, medical students might focus on diagnosis and treatment recommendations while pharmacy students provide medication counseling and nursing students address daily care and health management.
These experiential learning opportunities prove more impactful than classroom instruction alone, allowing students to develop clinical competencies, communication skills, and cultural sensitivity while working with diverse community populations. Faculty mentors from Rutgers' various health professional schools provide essential guidance, ensuring students receive proper supervision during these practical experiences.
Key Programs and Services
RHSC's service portfolio focuses on critical public health needs, particularly among vulnerable populations:
- Senior Preventive Health Screenings: Student volunteers from Rutgers' pharmacy and nursing schools conduct basic health monitoring while forming meaningful intergenerational connections with elderly community members.
- Asthma Corps for Children: This initiative addresses Newark's disproportionately high pediatric asthma rates through comprehensive education programs for parents and caregivers, teaching asthma management strategies in collaboration with major hospitals and community organizations.
- Colorectal Cancer Screening Initiative: Responding to updated national guidelines, RHSC promotes at-home screening kits with special attention to accessibility for low-income communities, with student volunteers handling meticulous preparation and distribution to maximize participation rates.
Expansive Network and Measurable Impact
RHSC's influence extends through collaborations with medical institutions, community centers, corporations, and faith-based organizations. The program currently engages approximately 50 core student volunteers with an additional 350 registered participants, collectively contributing over 3,000 service hours since September 2024.
The program also supports diverse student populations, including veterans who integrate their military experience with medical training. One notable example is Rachel Cary, a medical student and New Jersey Army National Guard member who applies her military-developed leadership skills to emergency medicine studies.
Vision for the Future
Building on its successful pandemic response model, RHSC plans to expand its service scope to address emerging public health challenges, including climate-related health threats. The program continues to strengthen partnerships with community health centers, food banks, and government agencies to enhance service accessibility and effectiveness.
Through its commitment to health equity—providing free screenings and education to underserved communities—RHSC significantly reduces health disparities while serving as a national model for university-based public service. The program exemplifies Rutgers University's vision of improving health by engaging communities where people live, work, and gather.