In an emotional moment at the Shade Tree Clinic, patient Faris Al-Jashami grasped medical student Stephen Dorner’s hand and vigorously shook it. He thanked Dorner repeatedly for helping him, but it wasn’t help for a medical problem.

More than 1,200 underserved and disadvantaged people in Nashville will gain access to high-quality primary care thanks to a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Division of Nursing grant recently awarded to the Clinic at Mercury Courts.

Nearly every week since 1988, cancer patients and families visiting Vanderbilt University Medical Center have been able to count on a comforting routine — at least one morning per week they are greeted by the same smiling volunteer who dispenses a dose of friendship along with coffee, snacks and advice about how to navigate the sprawling Medical Center campus.

Vanderbilt’s 12th annual Day on the Hill highlighted the university and medical center’s contributions to all 95 counties in Tennessee and offered the opportunity for conversations between Vanderbilt officials and state lawmakers.