jefferson chronicle-spring/summer 2006
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Featuring "Biomedical Sciences & Physician Assistant."TRANSCRIPT
ISSUE ONE 2006
THE MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI & FRIENDS OF JEFFERSON COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCES
C H R O N I C L EJEFFERSONJEFFERSON
C H R O N I C L E
CONSOLIDATION PROGRESSES FACULTY PROFILE NEW ALUMNI COORDINATOR
&&BIOMEDICAL SCIENCESPHYSICIAN ASSISTANT
BIOMEDICAL SCIENCESPHYSICIAN ASSISTANT
Carol M. Seavor, R.N., Ed.D.President
FeaturesTHE REID REPORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Sandra Eubank, RN, ’93 Published Roanoke Memorial LPN School to Join Jefferson
FACULTY PROFILE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Charlie Moore, Ph.D.
SPOTLIGHT ON PROGRAMS . . . . . . . . . 6, 10Biomedical SciencesPhysician Assistant
JEFFERSON COLLEGE of HEALTH SCIENCES
J E F F E R S O N C H RO N I C L E 1
ALUMNI BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Carolyn Mason-Murray ’98President
Natalie O’Donnell ’01Secretary
COLLEGE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Stephen MusselwhiteChairman
William R. ReidImmediate Past Chairman
Robert C. LawsonVice Chairman
Nathaniel L. Bishop
Martha Bruce Boggs
Charles Saldarini
The Honorable Philip Trompeter
F. Lee Tucker
Ellen Wade
Joseph Wright
COLLEGE ADMINISTRATION
Carol M. Seavor, R.N., Ed.D.President
Douglas Southard, Ph.D., P.A.-C.Provost and Dean for Academic and Student Services
Anna Millirons, C.P.A.Dean for Administrative Services
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Wilton Kennedy
Mike Slaughter
Bre Sawyer
Mark Lambert
MAGAZINE EDITOR
Diane Hailey
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Brehanna Sawyer
DESIGN
Inprint, Inc.
PRINTING
Seckman Printing
COLLEGE ACCREDITATION
Commission on Colleges of the Southern
Association of College and Schools (SACS)
Jefferson College of Health Sciences
is certified by the State Council of
Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV).
WILLIAM O’NEAL, ’04, began his healthcare career in the Navy. “After basic training I was an
undesignated deck hand, one of the most undesirable positions known to man. Fortunately,
my drill instructor forced me to sign up for hospital corpsman training,” O’Neal recollects.
His work on the USS Nassau earned him the coveted moniker “Doc,” reserved for thoroughly-
trained and respected corpsman. “I wasn’t interested in eight to ten years of medical school,
so I looked into physician assistant programs. When I found out that Roanoke, my hometown,
had a PA program, I knew I was meant to attend Jefferson.”
DepartmentsAbout the cover...
CLASS NOTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13JEFFERSON ADVANCEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Bre Sawyer New Alumni Coordinator
Cover photo by Ian Bradshaw
Charlie Moore, Ph.D.
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William O’Neal ’94
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Jefferson PTA and Friends
Grant & Award NewsThe Jefferson College of Health Sciences Physician
Assistant program was one of seven programs across the
nation to win a 2005 Innovations in Health Care award.
The award is sponsored by the AAPA/PA Foundation/Pfizer
to recognize PAs involved in innovative health care delivery
models. JCHS won based upon work with the Appalachian
Campus-Community Education, Services, and Support training
program. The recognition carries a $3,500 cash award and a
summary of the project in national publications.
The Healthy
Families Project
proposal submitted by
Jefferson faculty to the
Carilion Biomedical
Institute Collaborative Research Program has been funded for
$17,148. This research project will involve members of the
Jefferson nursing faculty and Virginia Tech developmental
science faculty over the next 12 months.
A noteworthy event is the plan to add the Roanoke MemorialSchool of Practical Nursing to the JCHS family. Adding thislong standing successful LPN school to our program offeringsprovides a ready made career ladder to prospective nurses.Look for a more in-depth view of this merger in the fall issueof Jefferson Chronicle.
THE REID REPORT
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The Jefferson CupEach year, a committee of faculty and staff chooses two
employees who they believe advance the mission of the college
best. This year, department secretary Lynn Freeman and
assistant professor Allen “Mac” Snead were chosen for this honor.
They were presented plaques and appreciation from Dr. Carol
Seavor at the Employee Annual Dinner on March 18, 2006.
Mission Possible
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Mike Slaughter and Brian Boland Lynn Freeman and Mac Snead
Mike Slaughter, M.S., program director and assistant
professor for math and sciences, and Brian Boland, NREMT-P,
instructor for EHS-Paramedic, were awarded the 2004-2005
Teaching Awards by the student body. Slaughter was honored
for his work in the classroom, and Boland was honored for his
work in e-teaching in the distance learning environment.
LPN School to Join Jefferson
PTA Students Show HeartStudents in the PTA program participated in the American
Heart Walk at Explore Park on October 15, 2005 and raised over
$1,600 for the American Heart Association.
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Two incoming students for Fall 2006 could
receive the Who Traveled the Longest Distance
Award. Nursing students and husband/wife
team Jared and Valene Dunn hail from North
Pole, Alaska.
Jefferson is not new to West Coast and
Arctic Circle students. In 2005, Alaskan Rita
Wright (see photo at right) completed the parish
nursing program and earned faith community
nursing certification online through JCHS.
Wright was pleased with the experience and
opportunity to learn through distance education,
saying, “Thanks to the wonderful instructors at
Jefferson College and their willingness to provide
creative solutions, I can now fill the nursing
need at our fellowship and in rural villages.”
Parish nursing, also known as faith community nursing,
focuses not only on health care but also on spiritual care. Faith
community nurses bond closely with their communities,
working in homes and churches to promote physical and
spiritual health. Often, they will identify areas of community
health needs, such as education or senior care, and step
into those roles.
The JCHS certification program is delivered in a
combination retreat and online learning format. Two
retreats bookend the online learning component over
approximately three months.
If you are interested in learning more about faith
community nursing, contact Karie Salas 540.767.6070.
There will be a summer 2006 class beginning in June.
JEFFERSON COLLEGE of HEALTH SCIENCES
J E F F E R S O N C H RO N I C L E 3
Rita Wright (right), of Dillingham, Alaska, demonstrates one of the facets of subsistence living- preparing the salmon catch to sustain the village through the winter.
Alaskan Students Make Their Way to Jefferson
THE REID REPORT
cour
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In the foreword of Jefferson professor Bob Reese’s
book The Winner’s Mentality, Ahmad Rashad
reminisces about his long friendship with Reese and
the PTA (pain, torture, agony) that Reese inflicted
upon him during his football career. Now that
Rashad is a comfy commentator, he still relies on
his old friend for improving something other than
his ligaments—his career performance. Reese’s
book is about not only improving the reader’s
performance, but also helping the reader maintain peak performance.
Reese believes in the American dream, that every person—no matter
what his or her upbringing, parent’s status or last name—can achieve a
successful financial and personal life. As a professor in the humanities
department at Jefferson, Reese is a constant encouragement to freshmen
students who may need a boost in self-esteem to see their own successful
futures. As a private college, we are committed to giving all of our
students the resources they need to succeed. One of those resources
is Dr. Bob Reese.
Achievement Based Book DevelopsWinner’s Mentality
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Bob Reese, Ph.D.
THE REID REPORT
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New Traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing
ROANOKE-National publisher Alexander Books
recently announced the release of Room 409, a collection
of short stories about ghostly events in Virginia hospitals
by Jefferson alumna Sandra Eubank, ’93. Eubank’s over
35 years of hospital nursing in the Roanoke area and her
professional writing skill come together in this collection
of well-crafted short stories that both thrill and chill.
The fictional hospital in the stories resembles so many
real ones. It has its own rumor mill among the employees,
efficiently broadcasting the best gossip, setting up the eerie
legends and tales that arise as a natural result of long night
shifts and of events unexplainable.
Throughout her 35 years of hospital bedside nursing,
Eubank has worked as a registered nurse in various specialty
areas including neurosurgical units, emergency room,
oncology and medical surgery units. Presently she works
on a busy surgical progressive care unit as a clinical team
leader/charge nurse.
Sandra Eubank, RN ’93Publishes Fiction Book
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Accreditation NewsThe College had successful accreditation visits over the past several months. The master of science in nursing received a positive
exit report from the College’s regional accrediting body, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Commission
on Colleges. SACS is widely regarded as one of the toughest accrediting bodies in the nation. In fall 2006, the Commission on
Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) of the American Council of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) will visit to assess the program’s
excellence and worthiness for professional accreditation.
The EHS-Paramedic program was pleased to earn continuing accreditation status from the Committee on Accreditation of
Educational Programs for the EMS Professions (CoAEMSP).
Other exciting program news includes the addition of a
new traditional bachelor’s degree in nursing. The new four-year
program offering is open to qualified students who wish to
earn a BSN degree as their first nursing practice degree.
The program has already met its enrollment goals for fall 2006
in both the freshman and sophomore level classes.
The new bachelor of science in nursing program began in
January, 2006 with 40 students. Many of the students were
initially associate degree nursing students who jumped at the
opportunity to work toward the four-year credential. “We are
so pleased to be able to offer the four-year option for students
who want it,” says Admissions Director Judith McKeon.
“Plus, adding the new program opened up a lot of room for
our waitlisted folks who could then begin the associate
program in January.”
The initial success of the program indicates that the
national trend of nurses wanting four-year and master’s
degrees in nursing is evident in Roanoke. The associate degree
in nursing remains strong, but statistics show that more nurses
than ever are beginning their careers with a bachelor’s degree.
The College’s RN to BSN program still fills to capacity
each year with registered nurses who want to earn the
bachelor’s degree.
If you are interested in coming back to Jefferson to earn
the BSN, please call the Admissions Office at 888.985.8483.
Judy Cusumano, Ph.D., Rebecca Clark, Ph.D., R.N., Annette Strickland, R.N.Cynde Early, BSN ’06
JEFFERSON COLLEGE of HEALTH SCIENCES
J E F F E R S O N C H RO N I C L E 5
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CommencementDecember
Joy Sylvester-Johnson was keynote speaker for DecemberGraduation 2005. As executive director of the RoanokeRescue Mission, founded by her parents in 1948, Sylvester-Johnson spoke of the tremendous need for both human andfinancial resources for the underprivileged in the RoanokeValley. The Rescue Mission is a Christian crisis intervention centerthat provides 214 beds of temporary and transitional shelter,food on premises, clothing and furniture and a residentialrecovery program for substance abuse.
THE REID REPORT
The project to consolidate Carilion Roanoke Memorial
Hospital (CRMH) and Carilion Roanoke Community
Hospital (CRCH) and marked several milestones in 2005
as work continues this year.
At Carilion Roanoke Community Hospital, in 2005,
work began to transform the facility into one of the
most comprehensive healthcare education centers in
the region. When the renovations are complete, the
CRCH building will be home to Jefferson College of
Health Sciences.
In winter 2005, the exterior of the Carilion Roanoke
Memorial Hospital began to evolve as floors were added
to the South Tower. Inside the hospital, renovations
began to existing spaces to house relocated department
and service lines throughout the facility. The moves were
part of a plan to maximize the quality and efficiency of
care provided to patients regardless of the treatments
they need. In addition, the renovations provided
opportunities for some areas to update or install state-of-
the-art equipment that would support Carilion’s goal
of providing comprehensive care for patients in a world-
class medical center.
By fall 2005, we marked a milestone in the project as exterior construction at CRMHwas completed, including the “topping out” of the multi-story addition to the South Tower
that will house Women’s and Children’s services relocating from CRCH. Work willcontinue on interior renovation and construction at CRMH throughout 2006.
Consolidation of Roanoke Hospitals Construction Progresses
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BY MARK LAMBERT, Employee Communications Specialist—Carilion Health System
This focus helps students
connect their Jefferson
education to real world
applications as they work
toward health care and/or
clinical laboratory careers.
“When the College
started the biomedical
sciences program in 1998,
the expectation was that it
would attract students with
an interest in hard sciences
who wanted to do strictly
lab research,” says Mike
Slaughter, program direc-
tor. “But what has evolved
is a curriculum that works
very well as a pre-professional program that prepares a wide
range of students for other programs within the College, the
clinical lab program at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital
or graduate programs at other universities.”
The Biomed program brings the cream to the top very
quickly, and when students complete the program, they are
ready for any challenge. “Our student population tends to
include a wide array of abilities and interests; therefore, we
have to apply more pressure and creative incentives for them
to find their inner scientist,” Slaughter contends.
Enrollment for the first few years was less than exciting
since the program was designed as a terminal degree and few
could visualize a career in biomedical sciences.
Then the television show CSI came along. When the
criminal procedure shows exploded in popularity, the College
felt the boost of interest in biomedical sciences, and the phone
began to ring. “Those shows are dramatizations, of course, but
they give young people a glimpse of life inside the laboratory,
even if the glimpse is not exactly accurate.” Slaughter continues,
“NCIS is probably the biggest culprit. The young woman who
works in the lab is always drinking a cup of coffee– that’s a
big no-no in the real world, it would violate laboratory safety
regulations.” The one thing these shows demonstrate well is
that courtroom prosecutors are very dependent on the people in
lab coats analyzing the evidence. “DNA and forensic evidence
6 V I S I T U S AT W W W. J C H S. E D U O R C A L L 8 8 8 . 9 8 5 . 8 4 8 3
BY DIANE HAILEY, Coordinator of Communications and College Relations
Nationally, many students lament the irrelevancy of college curricula
to the real world, and many faculty members lament declining basic
academic skills of students enrolled in their college courses. Both issues
can bring frustration to the college experience for both students and
faculty. While Jefferson Biomedical Sciences faculty members expect
students to perform at a high level and to think critically, they also strive
to teach the rigorous science-based curriculum with relevancy to the
medical field. Professors also strive to consistently relate the scientific
course material to the dynamic processes included in human functioning,
health and disease.
SPOTLIGHT ON PROGRAMS
Crime labs are not the
only places the biomedical
sciences alumni flourish.
Because biomedical
laboratories are a
growing business all over
the United States, there
is a solid job market
available for people who
want to base their careers
in healthcare-related
laboratory work as well.
Biomedical
Mike Grimes is a great example of a student whose educational
needs demanded the curriculum which the biomedical sciences
program supplies. After spending 13 years in the military and
out of school, he sought a program that would prepare him for
the physician assistant program at Jefferson. Grimes explains,
“The biomedical sciences program at Jefferson meets every
requirement as a pre-PA program of study, emphasizing health-
care sciences, not the natural sciences. I didn’t want to spend years
studying nature. I wanted to learn how science is used to help
heal people.” He made the right decision. Few PA candidates who
have less than a bachelor’s degree are accepted into the program.
Grimes also wasn’t
completely new to the
medical field. He spent his
last five years in the Army
as a field medic and is a
nationally-registered EMT-
paramedic. With more than
a decade of military service
behind him, the decision to
take an honorable discharge
was a difficult one. However,
the thought of furthering
his education in medicine
kept tugging at him, and
now he is satisfied he made
the right choice. “Being
a paramedic and having
the biomedical sciences
background will make me a
better physician assistant,”
he says.
Grimes will practice in
cardiovascular and
cardiothoracic surgery,
assisting the surgeon with
procedures in the surgical
theatre. “I’ll be working
with many patients who are suffering the consequences of not
taking care of themselves,” he says. “Hypertension, congestive
heart failure and artery failure are often the manifestations of a
poor lifestyle, and when these patients find themselves in a surgical
situation, I’ll be there with them,” he says. Educating his patients
with chronic disease management education will also be his
responsibility. Part of a cardiology PA’s daily routine includes
working with post-operation patients, providing follow up care
to the surgical patients after an MI and using the chronic disease
self-management approach to reduce their risk factors and
improve their lifestyles.
Mike Grimes, ’06biomedical sciences alumnus, physician assistant student
dublin, va
“Being a paramedic and
having the biomedical
sciences background
will make me a better
physican assistant.”
— Mike Grimes ’06
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JEFFERSON COLLEGE of HEALTH SCIENCES
J E F F E R S O N C H RO N I C L E 7
SPOTLIGHT ON ALUMNI
is critical in law enforcement
now,” he continues.
Roanoke City’s
Commonwealth Attorney Don
Caldwell agrees, “When there is
forensic evidence from a crime
scene, it becomes a critical
component of the case. Juries
expect evidence that has been
examined in the lab to be clearly
explained to them and put in
proper context. This is the type
of evidence that can show guilt
or innocence without reasonable
doubt.” From his point of
view, there are definitely job opportunities in the forensic field.
The state crime lab is funded by the Virginia General Assembly,
therefore, staffing is dependent on the budget. “There is no
question that the increase in evidence evaluation requests has
exceeded what the state lab can handle expeditiously.”
Caldwell predicts that forensic laboratories will begin to appear
on the local level, giving local law enforcement a way to have
evidence tested on site. Caldwell is appreciative of Jefferson’s
program and its potential for attracting people who want to go
into the field. “We have got to establish a level of expertise in
Roanoke that is greater than what we currently have. We need a
forensics lab right here in Roanoke, and when we get one, we
need a pool of trained local people to fill those jobs.”
Crime labs are not the only places the biomedical sciences
alumni want to spend their careers. The program is also a
stepping stone into medical school, radiology school, and
pharmacy school, just to name a few opportunities. Slaughter
believes the local job market is even more promising than the
national market: “Roanoke is a healthcare delivery city and
our graduates with the right credentials will be well positioned
to fill the human resource needs.” •
Ijust have an undiagnosed hyperactivity disorder, that’s all,” explains Charlie Moore, Ph.D. “That’s why I get to my office
so early every morning. I like to have at least 3 cups of coffee before my first class.” Moore knows the chemical compound
that makes caffeine so enticing. “It’s that second oxygen molecule that gives me the energy I need,” he jokes. As an eight-
year math and science professor at Jefferson, he has also learned what his years of caffeine and nicotine abuse have done to
his respiratory, epidermal and cardiology systems. “I was much happier when I worked in the military, where my colleagues didn’t
really care enough to give me a hard time,” he laughs.
FACULTY PROFILE
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Charlie Moore ph.d., lieutenant colonel, retired
BY DIANE HAILEY, Coordinator of Communications and College Relations
“
Despite his vices, Moore has
received top employee and teaching
honors at Jefferson. “Maybe the College
sees me as a good customer for Carilion
and wants me to stick around Roanoke,”
he ponders mischieviously. Moore’s
work ethic and sense of humor helped
lead him to receive the College’s highest
honor, the Mission Possible Award, in
2002. Also, he earned the highest honor
bestowed on faculty by students, the
Jefferson Cup for Classroom Teaching,
in 2004. His recognition by students is
due in large part to the wide range and
sheer numbers of students that he
teaches. Most students in the varied
Jefferson programs must complete
classes like general chemistry, anatomy
and physiology because these courses
provide a foundation for understanding
how the human body functions.
Moore can relate to students on
many career tracks and provides special
advising to students who major in the
bachelor of science in biomedical sciences.
A biomedical sciences degree may provide
a student with a path to research in the
laboratory setting or it can be a stepping
stone. “For example, students who get
these high level sciences under their
belts often go on to medical or dental
school, clinical laboratory programs, the
PA program, or pharmacy school and
the like,” says Moore.
There is no denying that biomedical
sciences, as a terminal degree at the
college, is not one that attracts high
enrollment numbers. The program
typically receives about 100 serious
inquiries per year and about 20 of
those students matriculate into the
major. It is not unusual for some of
these students to choose other majors
after learning of other options within
the college. When students spend
two or three years in the program and
are recruited away by another program
within Jefferson or to another great
college or university, JCHS faculty
and administrators still consider that
a success story.
Moore believes that Jefferson
is on the threshold of a major push
for biomedical studies in Virginia.
Although the biomedical sciences
program has been one of the best-
kept secrets in Roanoke for the past
eight years, the influx of biomedical
work on Roanoke’s Jefferson Street
will bring the program to the forefront.
“It is very exciting to think about this
program getting its just desserts,” says
Moore. “The Carilion Biomedical
Institute is getting lab
sciences in the newspapers and on the
local television news, and the average
person is going to get to know more
about how biomedical sciences
improves their lives.”
Bringing a higher profile to science
education in Roanoke pleases Moore
immensely: “Long-time Roanokers,
naturally, know more about the railroad
business than most people. As this area
continues to increase its healthcare and
laboratory expertise, its young people
are going to have a greater knowledge
of and appreciation for medicine or
lab sciences. The probability of young
people in the Roanoke Valley choosing
these career paths will increase.”
Moore is happy that he works in
the world of microscopes and test tubes
every day, and he enjoys sharing what
science can do for sick people. “I relate
everything that I teach to healthcare and
medicine in some way so that students
don’t lose sight of what they are here
for,” Moore explains. “When students
know the relevance to people in what
they are learning, they are better
students, and that makes my job even
more rewarding.”
It’s this intuitive wisdom that
makes Moore stand out. His students
are grateful that he takes textbook
biology and puts it into the medical
perspective. “Dr. Moore always brings
real life situations into his teaching,”
says former student Mike Grimes, ’06.
“If he’s talking about biology, it’s about
human biology, not the biology of cats
and squirrels. If he talks about diseases,
it’s about diseases that happen to
humans, not to trees.” •
JEFFERSON COLLEGE of HEALTH SCIENCES
J E F F E R S O N C H RO N I C L E 9
“long-time roanokers,
naturally, know more
about the railroad
business than most
people. as this area
continues to increase
its healthcare and
laboratory expertise,
its young people are
going to have a greater
knowledge of and
appreciation for
medicine or lab sciences.
the probability of young
people in the roanoke
valley choosing these
career paths will increase.”
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Physician Assista
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SPOTLIGHT ON PROGRAMS
From the beginning
the PA faculty set a standard
for excellence. The original
teaching team consisted of
Southard, as program
director; Mark Greenawald,
MD, as medical director;
Rebecca Scott, Ph.D., PA-C,
as academic coordinator (and
later as program director);
and Sharon Maiewski, PA-C,
as clinical coordinator. In
addition, over 150 physicians,
physician assistants, nurse
practitioners and other
health professionals helped
train the first class of 21
students in 1997.
Once Jefferson paved the way, three more Virginia colleges
began offering the physician assistant program. James Madison
University, Eastern Virginia Medical School, and Shenandoah
University now also offer PA programs. “A lot of people think
of us as a small college no one has ever heard of,” says current
Program Director Wilton Kennedy, PA-C, “but in medical
education, we are very well-known.”
Southard explains, “It was, and still is, a marvel that a college
in southwest Virginia spearheaded physician assistant education.
Northern Virginia and Richmond are usually the pacesetters in
Virginia education.”
Complete support from the Roanoke medical community
has been the foundation of the program since its inception.
The strongest partnerships are with Carilion Health System,
Salem Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Southwest Virginia
Community Health Systems, Inc. These medical institutions
make room each month for Jefferson PA students to participate
in clinical rotations in different specialties, similar to the rotations
of medical students. Because physician assistants have a great
deal of flexibility in their training, they are available for a wide
variety of clinical settings.
“Carilion Health System is very fortunate to have the
Jefferson PA program in Roanoke,” says Dr. J.A. Hagy, Sr.,
director emeritus of family practice education with Carilion
Health System and professor emeritus, University of Virginia
School of Medicine. Hagy was part of the original development
board for the program. He continues, “I’ve been very impressed
with the students that the program has been able to attract.
The combination of bright students and dedicated faculty makes
the Jefferson program stand out.”
Aiding the medically-underserved areas of Southwest and
Southside Virginia has always been the program’s main focus.
The Jefferson PA
program is meeting its
challenge of providing
this region with medical
support, as well. Of the
175 Jefferson graduates,
68 still work in Roanoke
and Southwest Virginia.
Eighteen of these work
in a Carilion facility.
In 1996, a 20-member advisory committee began developing a
curriculum and finding clinical sites for the first physician assistant
program in Virginia. Jefferson’s PA program would break barriers not
only for healthcare licensure offered in the Commonwealth but also for how
Virginians view primary care. “In 1996, there were only a few hundred
physician assistants practicing in the state,” says Dean for Academics and
Student Services Douglas Southard. “Now, there are well over 1,000 PAs
working in all sorts of medical environments across Virginia.”
BY DIANE HAILEY, Coordinator of Communications and College Relations
Rebecca Scott, Ph.D., PA-C was part of the groundbreaking team of faculty whose students included Susan Albanowski, PA-C.
antJEFFERSON COLLEGE of HEALTH SCIENCES
J E F F E R S O N C H RO N I C L E 11
Students applying to the program have been
encouraged to work in this region for at least
a portion of their careers after graduation.
That focus has been a boon for medical
practices in places that have dire need for
chronic disease education, a key element of
the Jefferson program. Southwest Virginia
has the most at-risk population for obesity,
diabetes and asthma in the Commonwealth.
Moreover, the rate of people having more
than one of these chronic conditions, called
co-morbidity, outpaces the rest of the state.
“Chronic disease management hinges
on three main factors. We have an aging
population, an increase in chronic disease,
and a lack of health education programs
appropriate for persons with co-morbidity,”
says Kennedy. Jefferson PAs, armed with
educational strategies and knowledge of
treatment protocols, are tackling health
issues that affect many Virginians.
Most medical professionals agree that the
future of medicine will depend on medical
providers’ ability to effectively teach
patients how to self-manage their chronic
diseases. “So much of the health dilemma in
Southwest Virginia is directly tied to health
behaviors-there’s no easy fix-but our PAs learn how to meet the
specific challenges that culture, poverty and lack of access to
health care bring,” says Kennedy.
The Jefferson PA program is meeting its challenge of
providing this region with medical support, as well. Of the 175
Jefferson graduates, 68 still work in Roanoke and Southwest
Virginia. Eighteen of these work in a Carilion facility.
This year the program plans to increase its incoming class
to 36. The number of applicants for fall 2006 exceeded 375, and
as the program gains national recognition, it receives inquires
from increasingly academically qualified and competitive
applicants. Strong competition for so few seats allows for a
learning environment that gives faculty the opportunity to create
an advanced curriculum and to expect students to keep pace.
“Many of our students already have bachelor’s degrees or have already
been in the working world,” says Kennedy. “Almost all have previous
experience in project management, so we can be more productive.”
With its unique chronic disease management education
component, the program is finding a national and international
audience. Kennedy, Medical Director Patrick McCarthy, M.D., and
the Jefferson PA faculty have incorporated a community medicine
rotation that may become the standard by which other medical
training programs are judged. Conference committees globally have
been seeking Kennedy to speak on the Jefferson curriculum.
“We’ve known community-oriented primary care is the future of
healthcare for a long time,” says Kennedy. “By sharing information,
we are doing our part to improve healthcare delivery not only
in Virginia but around the world.” •
The Jefferson PA program made local and statewide news in 1996 and continues to garner frequent media coverage for its curriculum and mission.
SPOTLIGHT ON PROGRAMS
SPOTLIGHT ON ALUMNI
William O’Neal, ’04, is happier now than at any other time
of his life. “For the first time, my smile is genuine, and it
comes from knowing that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to
be,” he says. After graduating from Jefferson, he was assigned
to the Vernon J. Harris Health Center, located in the East End
Richmond neighborhood of Church Hill, by the National
Health Services Corps (NHSC). The NHSC is an elite
federal program that paid for O’Neal’s education at Jefferson.
In return, he is serving
the health center clients in
Richmond. The NHSC
fills the need for medical
staff in some of the most
underserved settings in
the United States. O’Neal
was skeptical about this
assignment but accepted
the post to honor his
commitment to the Corps.
He now feels that
it was a move planned
for him by Providence.
“My wife and I both feel
that God brought us to
Richmond,” he explains.
“We are close enough to
Roanoke to be able to visit
our hometown, and we
feel like we were meant to
come here.” His wife,
Asia O’Neal, R.N. ’02, is a
Jefferson nursing alumna
who works in labor and
delivery at Saint Francis
Hospital in Richmond.
Vernon J. Harris Health Center is a friendly, professional
environment despite the high-volume of patients seen every day.
Employee morale building is an important component of O’Neal’s
daily duties as staff manager. “The nurses and support personnel
have to stay emotionally and spiritually upbeat, facing some
pretty exhausting days,” says O’Neal. “Many of our patients are
in situations that can wear us down as we struggle to balance
connection and objectivity.” As an endless stream of young
mothers walk past the large pod of smokers outside, it might
be easy for O’Neal to get discouraged and count the days until
the end of his Church Hill assignment. Physician assistants can
work in better places, affluent offices where people have good
insurance, listen to the advice of their doctor, get prescriptions
filled and take their medicine. “I spent my clinical rotation at
Jefferson in Norton, Virginia learning about health issues in
rural America,” he says. In Southwest Virginia geographical
disconnection due to population scarcity challenges healthcare
providers to lure patients in from long distances.
“By contrast, in the inner city we have thousands of
people within a few blocks’ radius of our facility, but they are
disconnected from healthcare psychologically,” says O’Neal.
Many black Americans in the South, including Richmond, are
distrustful of the medical world and shun medical attention for
any reason. History has contributed to this mistrust. For example,
the government sponsored Tuskegee Syphilis Study conducted
between 1932 to 1972 in Georgia invited subjects to participate
by offering free medical testing and treatment. During the course
of that study, 400 black men were secretly denied medical
treatment for syphilis. “As a black man, I can understand the
paranoia. At the same time, it frustrates me that people are
now withholding their own treatment as a way of dealing with
the anxiety,” says O’Neal.
O’Neal stresses, however, that most health problems aren’t
relevant to race. “Bad lifestyle choices, not genes, are the source
of most health problems that I see in primary care,” he says.
“In both rural areas and inner city neighborhoods, bad choices
like unprotected sex and smoking affect more than the individual;
they also impact the family and community.”
The physician assistant program at Jefferson is rigorous, but
although most students feel like turning in their stethoscopes
in the first year, the retention rate is an astounding 100 percent
most years. Program Director Wilton Kennedy explains, “The
PA program is both a sprint and a marathon, but a lot of time and
effort go into handpicking each student. We interview dozens
of candidates for 20 seats each year. We select the students that
we truly feel have what it takes to make it all the way.”
“Being a PA makes me appreciative of my life and my family,”
says O’Neal. He and Asia are proud parents of Gabrielle (8)
and Malcolm (2). “Everything in our lives brought us to where
we are,” O’Neal explains. “God gave me hard times growing up
that led me to the military, then the military led me to medicine
and Jefferson, and Jefferson prepared me for Vernon J. Harris
Health Center and whatever may be beyond.” •
From Jefferson to Church Hillwilliam o’neal, ’04
physician assistant, national health services corps, richmond, va
“Being a PA makes me
appreciative of my life.
Everything in our
lives brought us to
where we are.”
— William O’Neal ’04
Pho
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BY DIANE HAILEY, Coordinator of Communications and College Relations
12 V I S I T U S AT W W W. J C H S. E D U O R C A L L 8 8 8 . 9 8 5 . 8 4 8 3
J E F F E R S O N C H RO N I C L E 13
1980S
David Hoback, EHS, ’84, of Roanoke,received the Outstanding EMS AdministratorAward at the Governor’s EMS Awards dinnerheld in November. David is a founding member of the Virginia Association ofGovernmental EMS Administrators and is on the regulation and policy committee.
Mary D. Quinn, ADN, ’88, of Roanoke,is working in the PICU at Carilion RoanokeCommunity Hospital. She has two children,ages 14 and 10 years and is working towardher BSN at Jefferson. She would like for herclass to hold a 20-year reunion in 2008. If you are interested, please contact theJefferson alumni office.
Susan Lowe, ADN, HSM, ’89, of Roanoke,retired from hospital nursing and is currentlyinvolved with National Guard and VADF. She was promoted in October 2005 to therank of major and works as a medical operations officer in the George WashingtonDivision headquarters in Richmond. She is a volunteer firefighter and life member ofClearbrook Volunteer Fire Department. She is a flotilla staff officer member trainingin the U S Coast Guard Auxillary.
1990S
Cammy Nulty, ADN, ’92, works inGreenboro, NC as a clinical nurse specialist.As a clinical resource and educator, she provides licensed staff with information oncurrent health care trends and issues.
John Deal, EHS, ’96, of Eau Claire, WI,served 4 years with the United States Navyin direct support of Operations SouthernWatch, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.John received an honorable discharge and isnow an instructor and clinical coordinatorfor the paramedic program at ChippewaValley Technical College in Eau Claire.
Yvette Powell, HIM, ’96, of Wirtz, is currently a medical transcriptionist coordinator at Physician Associates of Virginia.
CLASS NOTESJEFFERSON COLLEGE of HEALTH SCIENCES
JEFFERSON COLLEGE of HEALTH SCIENCES
Plans are underway for a 2007 celebration to mark the anniversary of Jefferson’s
accreditation for associate degree programs in Respiratory Therapy and Nursing.
Class of 1984 Respiratory Therapy graduates have much to celebrate! The 1984
class marked a new standard of merit for the college. Jefferson has grown to
include more students and diverse degree programs. One thing remains the
same: Jefferson’s excellence and innovation in education.
To be involved in the planning, contact Bre Sawyer, Coordinator Alumni
Affairs, 540.224.4644 or [email protected].
Cheryl Lynne AyersRandolph C. BayntonNorman Gordon Blake, Jr.James Harvey CloeDebra J. DavisLisa N. KazmerMichael Wayne Klaiber
Amy Louise MartinMichael E. McCollumConnie Mitchell NakhleJamie F. RibbleKim Ellen RoeVictoria Dennis Trevilian
Respiratory students in 1984.
associate degree in respiratory therapy25TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY class of 1984 alumni celebration
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CLASS NOTESJEFFERSON COLLEGE of HEALTH SCIENCES
14 V I S I T U S AT W W W. J C H S. E D U O R C A L L 8 8 8 . 9 8 5 . 8 4 8 3
Clint Thornhill, PTA, ’96, of Roanoke,recently moved back from Williamsburg with his wife and two children. He is a salesand marketing executive with HousecallHome Healthcare, an Amedisys Company.After practicing physical therapy for fiveyears as a licensed assistant, he decided to pursue a career in healthcare sales. Since changing careers he has worked for a large pharmaceutical company selling respiratory medications and for a companyselling optical lenses and laboratory services.
Tina Graham-Cook, ADN, ’97, ofBoones Mill, is working at Maxim Healthcare,a home health staffing agency, in Roanokeas a clinical supervisor. She will be comingback to Jefferson to pursue a BSN inHealthcare Management.
Robert Geddens, PTA, ’97, of Blythewood,SC, and wife, Beth, have a son named Caleb,born 3/22/04. Geddens graduated fromthe University of South Carolina’s DPT program in May 2005, and is working as aphysical therapist at Providence Hospital inColumbia, South Carolina.
Carolyn Mason-Murray, BSN, ’98, ofBlue Ridge, graduated from Old DominionUniversity in May 2005 with a master’s innursing education.
John D. Carney, PA, ’99, of Newark, DE,is a member of thoracic/vascular service atChristiana Care Health System.
Marli Sparbel Overstreet, PTA, ’99, ofHigh Point, NC, is married to Rick Overstreet.She is the therapy manager for RehabWorksat Westchester Manor in High Point.
Jess Naples, PA, ’99, of Lynchburg, practices at Nephrology Physicians inLynchburg. He works closely with JohnCardwell, PA, ’99, who was instrumental inbringing him into the practice.
Rebecca Rutt, PTA, ’99, of Richmond,went back to school and graduated with an associate’s degree in education in 2000. Currently, she is attending VirginiaCommonwealth University and workingtowards a bachelor’s in business managementand a minor in marketing with the intention ofstarting or working in an executive positionfor a non-profit organization.
Plans are underway for a 2007 celebration to mark the anniversary of Jefferson’s
accreditation for associate degree programs in Respiratory Therapy and Nursing.
Since the first graduates received associate degrees in nursing in 1985,
Jefferson has grown in many ways. Today, offerings at Jefferson include four
bachelor of science programs of study and the master of science in nursing.
Jefferson has steadfastly held to the mission of preparing ethical, knowledgeable,
competent and caring professionals in the healthcare field.
Your ideas and enthusiasm for the celebration are welcomed! To be involved
in the planning, please contact Bre Sawyer, Coordinator Alumni Affairs, at
540.224.4644 or [email protected].
Sylvia Susan AmickKim Elaine AustinAnna Maria BoushElizabeth Adele FoustCarol Elizabeth Sittler FurryLinda Gayle KingLinda S. LumsdenWallace E. Martin, Jr.Karen S. MoranPaula O’Dell Morrison
Marjo Lackey MullinsDonna F. NicholasJayne Marie OrrMelisa Gayle PleckerArthur Beal ShumateMary Lynne SprouseDonna Elizabeth TerryJulie Ann WhiteE. Sue Woodahl
Nursing students take a break from their studies.
associate degree in nursing25TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY class of 1985 alumni celebration
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2000S
Jason Patterson, EHS, ’00, of Hardy, worksfor the Roanoke County Fire and RescueDepartment as a paramedic-firefighter.
Michelle Hightower Hylton, PTA, ’00, ofRocky Mount, and husband Chris welcomedChristopher Ashton Hylton on April 19, 2006.Christopher weighed 7 pounds and was 193/4 inches long.
Sherry Chaney, ADN, ’01, of Roanoke,practices on 10 West at Carilion RoanokeMemorial Hospital as a clinical team leader.
Kelly Watts Butler, OTA, ’02, of StuartsDraft, is married with a one-year-old son,Nathan. She practices at Augusta MedicalCenter as a COTA on the skilled nursingunit. Her husband, Kenny, is a Marine, serving his second tour in Iraq.
Frank P. Doyle, ADN, ’02, of Elliston, has remained in the hemodialysis field,practicing as the acute dialysis coordinatorfor New River Valley Dialysis Center’s in-hospital program at MontgomeryRegional Hospital.
Debbie LaBiosa, ADN, ’02, of Salem,practices in long-term care as a registerednurse. She enjoys the ever-challengingaspects of providing care while working as a member of a multi-disciplinary care planteam. Her passion continues to be workingwith the elderly and emphasizing dignity,resident rights and the ongoing need forcapable and caring assistance provided tothem by nursing employees.
Paresh K. Visana, PA, ’02, of Gray, TN, is a physician assistant with WataugaInternal Medicine in Johnson City, TN.
Brian Hubbard, FIR, ’03, of Carrollton, is a paid firefighter-paramedic for theNewport News Fire Department.
Gary Mayfield, AT, ’03, of Petersburg,married Tia in 2004. He is now the fatherof two girls, Gianna (4) and Shania (1) and practices as an athletic trainer and as aphysical therapist assistant.
Tejas Vaishnav, BSN, ’03, of Charlottesville,is in the MSN-Ph.D. tract program atUniversity of Virginia. Her MSN focus is asacute care nurse practitioner and Ph.D.focus is on pain management and the useof CAM- complementary and alternativemedicine.
Steven Sharkey, ADN, ’05, of Roanoke,practices at Carilion Roanoke MemorialHospital in the MSPCU 8 Mountain.
Mike Showalter, ADN, ’05, of Roanoke,practices in the emergency department atCarilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.
Marianne Lyman, ADN, ’05, works as astaff nurse in stepdown cardiology (MCPCU)at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.
Send your class notes announcements and digitalimages (300 dpi) to [email protected].
CLASS NOTESJEFFERSON COLLEGE of HEALTH SCIENCES
JEFFERSON COLLEGE of HEALTH SCIENCES
J E F F E R S O N C H RO N I C L E 15
Michelle H. Hylton ’00 and Christopher.
Send us your new baby photo and we’ll send you
a Jefferson baby bib!
Email digital images (300 dpi) to
[email protected] or mail to
PO Box 13186, Roanoke, VA 24031
JEFFERSON ADVANCEMENTHEALTH DISPARITIES PROGRAM ADDS
NEW DIMENSION OF PATIENT CARE
16 V I S I T U S AT W W W. J C H S. E D U O R C A L L 8 8 8 . 9 8 5 . 8 4 8 3
Imagine that you have diabetes and lack health insurance. You can’t remember the last time you saw
a physician, and you have no idea when the government-subsidized clinic can squeeze you in for
an appointment. This was the situation in which most patients at the Kuumba Community Health
and Wellness Center in Roanoke, Virginia, found themselves prior to fall 2004.
That’s when first-year students at the Jefferson College of
Health Sciences PA Program teamed up with chronic disease
patients at the health center in a pilot program called Reducing
Health Disparities with PA Student-
Patient Self-management and
Support (PASSMAS).
The program is based on a
partnership between provider and
patient. PA students provide tailored
education and support to chronic
disease patients through a series of
home visits. The visits empower the
patients to take greater control of
their health, while exposing students
to a range of social, cultural and
environmental factors that impact
their patients’ management of
chronic conditions. The exchange
improves the long-term health
outcomes of chronic-disease patients and teaches PA students
the importance of developing cross-cultural approaches to care.
According to Wilton Kennedy, director of the JCHS PA
program, few practicing providers have been trained in patient
self-management techniques, which is an essential tool for
managing chronic disease.
“As the burden of chronic disease continues to rise in
this country, it will be imperative that more patients become
empowered to better manage their own conditions,” Kennedy
says. “More PAs also need to be prepared to provide their
patients with self-management support, in an effort to reduce
health disparities. This is especially true in cardiovascular
disease and diabetes, given that both of these conditions
disproportionately affect minorities.” More than half of the
health centers patients are African American or Hispanic.
The program works like this: Patients with a chronic
disease, usually diabetes or hypertension, are recruited at the
health center. Their charts are given to PA students, who meet
with PA program faculty to develop an understanding of a
patient’s chronic illness. The health center then arranges for
the patient and student to meet to discuss disease management
problem areas and goals. Utilizing input from the patient,
students develop an action plan that addresses diet, exercise
and other tips on improving their health. After the initial visit,
all PASSMAS visits take place in the patient’s home.
During each home visit, students observe the patients
behaviors and choices and develop culturally sensitive strategies
to help the patient live as fully and productively as he or she can
with a chronic condition. Sometimes
this means teaching a patient how to
exercise on “bad days” or reworking
a patient’s grocery list to incorporate
healthier foods.
By offering feedback and support
along the way, students instill patients
with the confidence they need to
manage their chronic condition.
Students also provide health center
staff with full psychosocial profiles
of their patients that go into the
patients’ medical charts.
Every patient who participates
in the PASSMAS program is also
enrolled in the Bureau of Primary
Health Cares Health Disparities Collaborative for diabetes
and cardiovascular disease. The patient’s preprogram and
post-program health indicators — hemoglobin A-1C, lipid
levels, blood pressure, and BMI — are compared to, assess
clinical improvement.
At the end of the pilot program’s first year, more than 90
percent of patients surveyed said they felt more confident in
managing their chronic conditions. Staff at the community
center expressed gratitude that someone could spend so much
time educating the complex patients. PA students also had the
opportunity to learn about continuity of care.
For providing such benefits to everyone involved, PASS-
MAS earned a $3,500 award as part of the 2005 Innovations in
Health Care: AAPA/PA Foundation/Pfizer Recognition
Program. The money will be used to defray the cost of the
program and the cost of the book Living a Healthy Life withChronic Conditions (Spanish and English versions), which is
given to each patient who participates in PASSMAS. Kennedy
also plans to present a paper about the program at this falls
PAEA Education Forum to encourage other PA programs to
consider creating similar programs in their communities.
“Anytime you start a new program, there will be challenges.
But [PASSMAS] has added a new dimension of patient care
and contact,” said Kennedy. “Patients win. Clinics win.
Students win. Everybody wins.” •
BY JÉNENE FONTENOT, AAPA News
PA Program Director Wilton Kennedy, PA-CP
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Iam Bre Sawyer, the new Alumni Relations Coordinator, and I am very excited
to be a part of Jefferson College of Health Sciences! Roanoke is my hometown,
I’m a graduate of Hollins University, and I’ve worked with several other
non-profit organizations in the area. I look forward to getting to know you and
discovering what we can achieve together to build a vital alumni association
and help JCHS continue to excel and serve.
As Alumni Relations Coordinator, my goal is to create activities and programs
for JCHS alumni that will encourage you to be a part of the Jefferson community
long after graduation. As an alumnus, each of you can support the College through
your ideas, suggestions, professional expertise, time, participation in college events
and financial support.
Alumni are critical to a strong college campus. You reflect the mission and
accomplishments of Jefferson, and your support allows us to thrive generation
after generation. One of my first initiatives will be to plan and develop an annual
fund campaign for 2007. We hope that when you are invited to participate you
will see this as a worthy initiative and give to the degree that you can. We will
appreciate each dollar you can give, but the amount is not as important as your
show of support. Our goal is to count ourselves among the proud colleges that
have 20% of alumni showing their support each year through annual fund giving.
Bringing together all of the schools that make up Jefferson College of Health Sciences creates an alumni base dating back to
1914. That’s impressive! In 1914, when the first nursing students at Jefferson Hospital School of Nursing started their program,
only a few blocks from where the current college stands, the Jefferson tradition of educational excellence began.
Jefferson’s alumni family also includes Lewis-Gale School of Nursing, Community Hospital of Roanoke Valley School of
Nursing, and, of course, Community Hospital of Roanoke Valley College of Health Sciences. Each of these great schools is the
foundation upon which Jefferson College of Health Sciences is built.
Our mission as an institution of higher learning could not be more important. Jefferson adds over 200 healthcare professionals
to the United States annually. The impact that Jefferson makes in our health care community, especially in this time of care giver
shortage, is tremendous and is well recognized. Dozens of hospitals and health centers in Virginia rely on Jefferson to educate
competent and caring healthcare professionals to meet their patients’ needs.
Every top college and university in the United States strives to have a strong legacy of annual giving by its alumni. Unrestricted
giving is crucial because it allows the institution to utilize the donors’ gifts to meet its most immediate needs. In other words,
Jefferson Fund support will go to things like library needs, equipment for labs and facility needs. Jefferson Fund gifts will help
the College increase its operational resources and directly enhance the Jefferson Experience for students. With your gifts, students
will have access to the best laboratory equipment, technology and research resources.
The move into the new building will be both exciting and costly. While Carilion Health System will complete the renovation
work to create an outstanding educational environment, the college is still responsible for funding the day-to-day needs that
directly affect students’ learning experiences. I welcome each of you to be a part of building the Jefferson Fund into a vital
resource for the college. Jefferson alumni are over 2,500 strong and can make a difference!
Sincerely,
JEFFERSON ADVANCEMENTNEW ALUMNI COORDINATOR INTRODUCES HERSELF
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BY BREHANNA SAWYER, Alumni Relations Coordinator
Hello Jefferson Alumni
Bre Sawyer
• $10 for adults$ 5 for kids 12 and underFree for kids 3 and under
• “Thirsty Thursday,” June 29th
• Game begins at 7:05 p.m.
• Purchase your tickets through the Jefferson Alumni Office by calling 540-224-4644 or email [email protected].
• Admission will include hot dog, chips and soda on the Valleydale Deck, just off right field.
JCHS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION PICNICAT THE SALEM AVALANCHE GAME ON JUNE 29TH
mark your calendar!
for the Second Annual
Jefferson Picnic in the Park!
/
Non-Profit Org
U.S. Postage
PAIDRoanoke, VA
Permit No. 28
P.O. Box 13186
Roanoke, Virginia 24031-3186