Community Care Clinic hosts successful fundraising carnival

The Campbell University Community Care Clinic on Sept. 20 held an outdoor carnival to honor student doctors who volunteer at the clinics and to raise money so the clinics can continue serving the people who need them.

The clinic is funded through myriad grants, but it also largely relies on private donations and other support, such as fundraising events like the carnival. Called "A Night Under the Big Top," the event, held on the lawn outside Levine Hall, included food trucks, activities, raffles, carnival games, inflatables and more, including university mascot Gaylord.

Student Dr. Amanda Myers is director of the clinic carnival. She says the clinic is one of her favorite things about Campbell and the reason she chose to attend the Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine (CUSOM).

The carnival and the Mr. CUSOM pageant are the clinic's two major fundraisers. Mr. CUSOM is a male beauty/talent pageant, in which students compete for the crown. Their score in the contest is, in part, based on collected donations. The students typically hold a gala for the clinics but this year students - after seeing another student group host a successful gala event - decided to change direction.

"Additionally, because it is so close to the beginning of the academic year, I thought it would be a great way for the new first year students to mingle and interact with each other - the second-year medical students - their families, and even faculty and staff, in a way that is more casual but still focused on Campbell's mission of serving the underserved," Myers said.

"My hope is that this event will become a staple at CUSOM and one where families and friends gather and co-mingle."

The carnival went well, said Kristin Johnson, administrative director of Community and Global Health.

"It was a great day, and please come support us next year," Johnson said.

The clinic offers free visits, lab work, imaging and medications to people who would not otherwise have access to health care, on campus and via mobile medical units. The clinic sees only uninsured patients, living at or below 250 percent of the U.S. poverty line.

It's the only such clinic in the country run solely by students, with some faculty oversight.

All proceeds from the carnival will directly help support the clinic, which is equipped with lab testing, a pharmacy and mental health counseling. It also includes visits with medical specialists. Clinic healthcare providers see patients, primarily migrant workers, on campus Monday night. Tuesday, the providers see patients in Dunn, and Wednesday the clinic travels to Duplin County.

Established in 2014 within the med school, the clinic is composed of physicians and physician assistants who oversee teams of medical, PA and pharmacy students.

"Without your support, we can't go forward," Dr. Joe Cacioppo, chair of Community and Global Medicine at the medical school, has said.

"These fundraisers fill the gap for us, so that we're able to provide that care. It really speaks to the heart of the school, and especially to the heart of the students in wanting to serve. That's why this is so essential. Without this sort of thing, without the money we're able to generate from these events, we wouldn't be able to function.

"We depend on it," Cacioppo says.

In 2024, the Campbell University Community Care Clinic earned the 2024 Gold Rating for Quality Standards Program from the National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics. The clinic achieved the highest scores in categories that included patient care, clinic and pharmacy responsibilities, risk management systems, credentialing and privileging systems and administration as it delivers crucial healthcare services in Harnett, Duplin, Johnston and Sampson counties in eastern North Carolina.

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