Gives Back
MLK Scholarship
The Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Scholarship is a reflection of our dedication to empowering the next generation of healthcare leaders. Established in 2019, this annual scholarship awards two deserving high school seniors from North Brunswick High School who display an interest in pursuing a career in the healthcare industry. This year $15,000. was generated for the scholarship.
Another way we’re committed to the future of our youth:
We have employed local student interns for the past 10 years and continue to do so. Students are usually from The University of North Carolina Wilmington, and some are North Brunswick High School grads who now attend UNCW, we’re excited to be a positive steppingstone to their careers in medicine. We’re also a host site for Med Serve fellows which is a subsidiary of AmeriCorps. Our interns do many day-to-day jobs at the office – they administer EKGs, take blood pressures, check patients in, communicate with patients, they work on the barbershop project, and assist Dr. Batish in his research.
When Dr. Batish traveled to Cuba and
Tanzania he brought a few hundred pounds in medical supplies
Advocates in GenX testing
Between 2020 – 2023 we were heavily involved in the GenX study.
GenX is a man-made chemical compound that do not occur naturally in the environment and were found in the Cape Fear River Basin.
We advocated in the community recruiting participants and were a site for labs to be processed.
Dr. Batish recognized a critical healthcare gap
Hypertension is an underdiagnosed and undertreated condition, particularly among African American men. Driven by a commitment to change this pattern and improve health outcomes, he embarked on an innovative initiative that brings hypertension education and testing to folks where they are comfortable – in their local barbershop. It’s a bold new strategy to confront hypertension at the heart of the community.
The barbers are trained about the challenges of hypertension, its symptoms, and the importance of regular checkups. We bring the blood pressure cuffs and our medical expertise directly to these community hubs. Our team of dedicated interns visits the barbershops for half a day each week. They conduct blood pressure checks and provide vital health education to the clientele. This innovative strategy transforms everyday encounters into potential life-saving interactions.
This initiative has proven to be a win-win situation. For the community, it offers an accessible and convenient method for early detection and education on hypertension. For us, it ensures we are fostering a healthier community, and reinforcing our commitment to patient-centered care.
The impact of the initiative has been promising, so much so that we’re hopeful of expanding this successful model throughout North Carolina. At Batish Family Medicine, we believe in the power of community and the importance of innovative healthcare solutions.