For the ninth year, students and faculty from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will spend their spring break on an interdisciplinary service trip to Tyrrell County. Nineteen students and three faculty members from nursing, physical therapy, public health, and social work will be in Tyrrell County March 11-15 working with community partners to promote and improve the health of the county’s residents. The planned activities and projects were identified by the community partners and will be completed in partnership with members of the community and local organizations.

On March 12-13, groups of UNC students will be at Tyrrell Elementary, Columbia Middle, and Columbia High schools working with students during their physical education and health classes. On March 13, a group will be at the Tyrrell County Senior Center to screen participants for risk of falls while another group will be working with the Emergency Food Closet.

Teams of students will also visit older adults in their homes to assess for risk of falls, help with mobility concerns, review medications, check blood pressure, and help provide health information on various days throughout the week. Other planned activities include distributing healthy, affordable meal plans and recipes, and working with the Columbia Medical Center to refresh previously planted sustainable vegetable gardens.