AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF)– When you’re part of an organization comprised of some 8,000 nurses and student nurses across the country, you’ve got a lot to offer. Sheila Hall and Gwendolyn Taylor are with me today. They’re from the local Phi Chi chapter.

Gwen: Yes, the local chapter is Phi Chi Chapter and of course, the national organization is Chi Eta Phi Sorority, Incorporated.

Jennie: And you’re made up of nurses and student nurses all over the country, and the important thing that you do, with your sorority nursing isn’t just a week, it’s a year-round event because you promote healthcare education and outreach in our local communities. How do you do this?

Gwen: Well, first of all, one of our national program is disease prevention and health promotion. So to coast onto that, we do health screenings, health education, and we usually will participate with local churches, community centers, wherever we’re asked to come out and assist. And of course, the public can because the public, they’re always invited.

Jennie: Right, right, right. What are some of the events that you have coming up through the spring and summer?

Sheila: We have several health fairs in conjunction with a few of the local churches that are involved in research with Augusta University. So we’ll be doing two health fairs, well, it’s not a health fair, I’m sorry, screening, health screenings, and whatever is needed for the research project.

Jennie: And that’s so important, those screenings, because often times just the transportation is a barrier.

Sheila: Absolutely.

Jennie: How did you decide to become a nurse in the first place?

Gwen: Well, I guess if I think back, originally my choice was not to become a nurse, but I guess I had the best of both worlds. So I ended up majoring in nursing and later I got into nursing education, and nurses teach, nurses educate. So I got the best of both worlds.

Jennie: It’s really great that you all are so committed to, whether you’re retired or still working, your sorority is involved in promoting good health and well being.

Sheila: We’re also mentors for the nursing students and we provide scholarships for some of the students in college, and, yeah, college students that are majoring in nursing. So that helps as well. So we’re very committed to helping develop the nurses that come through and the sorority members, a lot of ’em have a lot of things that they can contribute to society-

Jennie: Certainly.

Gwen: To make things better for us in the healthcare arena… we learn from each other and we use each other’s strengths to help, you know, make a difference.