Five Neumann University nursing students volunteered at a health fair in Chester to help male residents “save their soles” by learning about the connection between diabetes and foot amputation. 

They checked blood pressure, completed health surveys, and assisted Dr. Ron Renzi, a local podiatrist, with foot circulation checks. 

Neumann nursing professor Ann Zahner provided on-site supervision for Jillian Logue, Laura Millison, Nicole Pierdomenico, Shauntay Russ, and Dorcia Stringfield.

“The experience was valuable for the students because it gave them the opportunity to serve those in our community who are vulnerable and to learn about the challenges these men face in managing their own care,” Zahner explained. 

“The City of Chester has been greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and there is a lack of primary care providers practicing there. If residents want routine care, they often need to go to Crozer Hospital,” she added. 

“The students were able to provide this simple yet important health service to those who need it greatly.”  

In 2012, Renzi launched Save Your Soles, an organization that is focused on reducing the rate of foot amputation in men of color. Black males suffer major lower extremity amputations almost four times as often as white males in the Delaware Valley, he says.

He suggests that this number is due, in part, to the fiscal and socioeconomic challenges that are associated with managing ailments like diabetes. These challenges — which can include buying medication, having access to appropriate health care, and accessibility to nutritious meals – increase the chances of amputation.

The mission of Save Your Soles is to reduce the risk of these amputations through community education and screening. Led by a group of podiatrists, Save Your Soles uses hospital in-patient databases to identify populations and geographic areas at high risk.  

Working with healthcare providers, community groups, and churches, the nonprofit then hosts public health events in locations of greatest need.

Renzi contacted Zahner in 2022, asking for help from her nursing students for an event in Chester. She jumped at the chance to provide a community healthcare experience for her students and continued the partnership this year. 

Students in the Neumann University nursing program regularly perform community service.