Case Western Advocates for Cleveland Health (CWACH) became obsolete in 2014, when all of the active officers graduated from Case Western Reserve University, and it would have remained that way if it weren’t for two meddling kids.

Anupama Cemballi, a sophomore studying medical anthropology, decided to restart the group with the help of Chiweoke Osigwe, after a casual conversation about organizations on campus and how much students are accomplishing.

“We recalled that during the student activities fair freshman year, there was a group called Advocates for Cleveland Health,” said Cemballi. “I looked them up on OrgSync and realized that all the officers graduated last year. We realized that they weren’t around anymore, and as we walked into Rockefeller, we figured we could restart it.”

CWACH gives undergraduate students a chance to make a difference in the University Circle community through public health. The purpose of the club is to serve the community through medical screenings, educating community members and students about health disparities and teaching the public how to address health concerns.

If there are two things Cemballi is passionate about, they are community service and health education.

“My dad always says, ‘Charity starts at home,’ and what better way to follow that than to help out in a community that has become our home for four years?” she said. “I have been fortunate enough to have easy accessibility to healthcare and education. It’s important to me that it becomes easily accessible to everyone.”

The large pre-health student population—and anyone else interested in public health—is welcome to learn and become certified in medical screenings like blood glucose, blood pressure, BMI and cholesterol. The organization provides a great opportunity for pre-health students to gain exposure to working with patients and learning more about medical care. There will be a focus on cardiovascular diseases this semester.

Cemballi plans on taking the club to new heights by enlisting the help of experienced professionals in the future.

“I envision our club working with the public health department, running our own programs,” she said. “Hopefully we can get there before I graduate.”

The next board meeting for CWACH is on Feb. 23 at 6 p.m. in the Student Engagement Room at the Tinkham Veale University Center.