TMSU and CGTC Extend Aid to Hurricane-hit Union Island

by Amanda Peralta on WGXA News | Wed, July 24th, 2024 at 6:30 PM

MACON, Ga. (WGXA) -- Hurricane Beryl made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane off of the islands of Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines about three weeks ago. Now, Central Georgia Technical College and Trinity Medical Sciences University are teaming up to provide relief to those affected by the hurricane. 

According to the President of TMSU, Dr. Ward Ulmer, the school's campus on St. Vincent did suffer some minor structural damage after the hurricane however, the majority of the damage is on Union Island, just south of St. Vincent. Students, faculty, and staff from the medical sciences university have launched into action to provide relief to those affected the hardest by the hurricane.

"Trinity quickly provided financial resources and medical supplies to the community. We actually sponsored the Rotary Village Doctors floating clinic. It is a chartered ship that they took to Union Island, our faculty, and remember, most of those are physicians and even some of our students joined as well. More than 160 patients on board that ship and then, we also did some on-the-ground urgent care in the homes and in the shelters in Union Island," said Dr. Ulmer. 

Now, TMSU is joining forces with CGTC to provide more financial assistance to those who need it the most.

"As we've developed relationships and we've gotten to know these great people of this island, in recognizing what happened with Hurricane Beryl and everything that is going on there and their recovery efforts; we decided as a college alongside our foundation to figure out a way to support them. What we've asked is that our community come together and donate money and financial resources," said the Director of Marketing and Public Relations and International Outreach at CGTC, Jo-Ben Rivera-Thompson. 

CGTC and TMSU have been working together for years providing students with many ways to grow in their education including medical pathways, transfer opportunities and study abroad opportunities. 

"It also exists for us to be able to work together internationally to provide opportunities for our students and their students to grow and become better healthcare practitioners," said Rivera-Thompson. 

According to Rivera-Thompson, it is the technical college's way of showing their appreciation to those who have helped them so much in the past. 

"It is absolutely saying thank you. I think that is what we try to do. We try to be gracious in everything that we are able to facilitate or be involved in at Central Georgia Tech," said Rivera-Thompson. 

"It's a win-win for us. It is helping the community, it's also giving our students clinical training and firsthand experience with the global healthcare challenges that they've seen. I think for folks who are watching you, the financial resources are the best way to do it and I would remind everyone that CGTC's Foundation is local to our community. These are folks that we know and they are ensuring that these funds are used appropriately and your generosity is going to strengthen the relief efforts and also the partnerships that we have," said Dr. Ulmer.