Wright State medical students volunteer services to help busy health care providers

Matthew Lovell

Students at the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine have started a coordination effort to aid health care providers in Dayton responding to the coronavirus pandemic. The effort pairs physicians and health care providers with medical students available to babysit, dog walk, run errands or assist with eldercare.

Matthew Lovell and Ashley Brent had the idea to start the program. Both are members of the class of 2021. Lovell is the student council president, and Brent is the vice president. Their work to assist those working on the front lines began in March.

“We felt that while we were not able to be in the hospitals or clinics at this time, that medical students could still contribute to work that is and will be done by the physicians on the front lines,” Lovell said. “All of the medical students have been eager to get involved and help out their communities in any way that they can.”

They plan to begin working with the Department of Geriatrics to do video check-ins with patients and their families.

Ashley Brent

Lovell and Brent are volunteers themselves but spend most time making sure that the needs of others are met.

“While Ashley and I may volunteer and do some of the groundwork for these programs, the majority of our time is spent coordinating and making sure that we are getting medical students into positions so they can continue to make a positive impact,” Lovell said.