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Free Hygiene Presentations for pre K-4 Students
Tuesday, 21 February 2012 11:09
Are you a pre K- 4th grade teacher who would like to have a 30 minute free presentation on hygiene in your classroom or know of someone who does? If so, Bridget Faherty, the newest team member of AHEC and also a UCAN, United Communities AmeriCorps member, has been working closely with the Mercy Foundation to learn about and expand this program throughout our region. The program consists of either dental hygiene or germ awareness hygiene presentations to classrooms throughout the southwest region of Oregon for grades pre K-4. This will be a free, hands-on, kid-friendly way to introduce young children to the importance of taking responsibility for their own health; and is one of the many ways in which AHECSW continually strives to improve the health of southwest Oregon. To view the flyer, please click here.
According to the Oregon Department of Health 18.8% of students' ages 0-17 miss 11 or more days of school due to illness. Our goal is to teach students effective methods to prevent the spread of disease. Currently Douglas County is ranked as the 31st unhealthiest county out of 33 Oregon counties, and programs like these are vital to improving the overall health of our community by means of education and prevention. According to the Oregon Department of Health's Smile survey, nearly two out of three children grades 1-3 have cavities and more than one out of three need treatment for tooth decay. Tooth decay is the fifth most common childhood disease in Oregon; and the Department of Human Services requests more early-stage prevention measures. AHECSW is glad to heed the call and be a part of this movement by teaching children proper oral hygiene techniques that will prevent tooth decay. We will also be giving out newsletters for parents so that the families can also be educated of the importance of maintaining the practices learned in these presentations.
Bridget Faherty has been working with our teen volunteer program for over six months and has over ten years of experience dealing with children ages 0-13. Ms. Faherty received her Bachelor of Arts from Portland State University and has an interest in pursuing a Master's Degree in Public Health. She is very excited about the opportunity to go out into the southwest region and educate students about proper hygiene by way of our new Rural Youth Hygiene Presentations. If you are a teacher interested in one of these presentations for your class, have questions, or would like to see the curriculum and objectives, please contact Bridget Faherty at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to arrange a presentation time.
Don't forget to check back weekly for a new series we are doing called "The Faces of the Mercy Youth Program" where we will be highlighting some of the spectacular students involved in the volunteer program.
Brain Awareness Workshop 2012
Wednesday, 15 February 2012 11:15
AHECSW was proud to host OHSU's Brain Awareness Workshop on January 21, 2012, which is recognized as one of the premier neurological outreach programs in the nation. This year's event, "Food for Thought: How Diet Influences Brain Health", was provided by Dr. Gary Wenk, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, Neuroscience, Molecular Virology, Immunology and Medical Genetics, in the Department of Psychology at Ohio State University.
For many years, AHECSW has partnered with OHSU to provide this event to educators in our region at no cost to them. It is a wonderful opportunity for teachers to learn about the newest studies relating to the brain and overall brain health. The goal is to bring this information back to their communities, utilize it and better serve their students. Brain Awareness was broadcast live from OHSU to different sites throughout Oregon, and during the question and answer portion, each site had the chance to ask questions. The interactive nature of the lecture made for a much more interesting discussion and open dialogue with attendees. This is just one of the many ways that AHECSW works with partners to help bring health education to Oregon for the purpose of improving the quality of health in Oregon.
Dr. Wenk brought a lot of knowledge and humor to this year's Brain Awareness. His main focus was on how what we consume affects our brain chemistry and overall brain health. He even touched on brain development of children, teens and adults. The comments staff heard from attendees were extremely positive. Medical professional comments were of excitement and that a lot was learned from Dr. Wenk's talk. If you would like to see Dr. Wenk's fascinating and informative lecture or if you want to see any of the lectures from past years, click here. If you would like more information about Dr. Wenk's accomplishments and research, you can find out more here.
In the southwest region, AHECSW was able to provide this event free to educators in three different locations: Mercy Medical Center in Roseburg; South Coast Education Service District in Coos Bay; and Lane Community College, Florence Campus in Florence. This year, in order to provide more community members with knowledge about brain health, AHECSW opened up the event to all teachers, medical, nursing and allied health professionals and students, along with the general public.
This event was sponsored by the Science Outreach & Resources (SOAR) Committee, Science Education Opportunities (SEO) and Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU), along with Mercy Medical Center, South Coast ESD, Lane Community College and Area Health Education Center of Southwest Oregon (AHECSW). AHECSW would like to thank the host sites and their staff that worked hard to make this event a success. Don't forget to check the AHECSW website for future educational events.
Career Panel
Friday, 03 February 2012 10:57
Career Panel Event a Success!
"The Career Panel was excellent. I very much enjoyed it. The topics presented were interesting and educational. The people were very nice and helpful, and answered all of the questions I came up with. They have inspired me to continue following my dream of working in medical imaging. I'm so thankful to have been given the opportunity to attend." -Phoenix High School Student/Career Panel Attendee
On January 19, 2012, AHECSW and Mercy Medical Center hosted the first healthcare career panel event which took place in the nursing SIM lab at Mercy. This event included 40 rural 8th grade and high school students from 10 different schools in and around the Roseburg area. The students enjoyed the breadth of knowledge and experience of eight healthcare professionals who gave presentations and answered questions. This was a great hands-on experience for the students, due to the resources available through the use of the SIM lab. The medical professionals were able to utilize SIM mannequins, respiratory equipment and birthing simulators. An informational PowerPoint by the head of imaging at Mercy Medical Center got many students interested in radiology and imaging as a possible career. A comment by one of the students was, "The part that interested me the most was the imaging, because of all the job possibilities that come with it. Going to the career panel was a great experience."
"The Career Panel was excellent. I very much enjoyed it. The topics presented were interesting and educational. The people were very nice and helpful, and answered all of the questions I came up with. They have inspired me to continue following my dream of working in medical imaging. I'm so thankful to have been given the opportunity to attend."
Students were broken up into two large groups -- half attended an imaging presentation by Ed Cox and the remainder were broken into small groups and rotated to different presentation and demonstration stations provided by healthcare professionals. This provided a more personable experience for both student and presenter. It was obvious to staff that the students were having a great time and learning a lot. The students were very engaged and interested in what was being presented.
A special thanks to all the professionals who donated their time and enthusiasm!
"The Career Panel at Mercy Medical Center was very interesting to me. We not only got to listen to one person, we got to hear from six different people about different careers. I learned about imaging, the nursing program, trauma and emergency, ICU, cardiology, and paramedics. "-Phoenix High School Student/Career Panel Attendee
MedStars 2012 Applications Now Available
During one week of July each year, 40 qualified high-school students from around the state visit Oregon Health & Science University for MedStars, which is a crash course in health science career development.
Students:
- Meet with health professionals
- Learn about 25 different healthcare careers
- Stay in a college dorm and meet peers from around the state
MedStars is currently taking applications for the 2012 program (July 17-21, 2012), as well as for peer counselors who have already completed the program. If you know of any students who might be interested in this honors program, please go to http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/education/student-services/science-education-opportunities/education-programs/medstars-honors-experience/ and learn more about this program. Applications can be downloaded from this site and sent in to the AHEC Program Office in Portland.
Applications are due April 6, 2012.
To apply, students will need the following:
- The application form
- Two reference forms (included in application) to be completed by at least one teacher and one of the following: health professional, school counselor, adult mentor, coach, or spiritual leader
- A $50 deposit.
For questions about the deposit, please contact Dianne Halbert, Director of Operations, AHEC of Southwest Oregon at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Your references must be faxed or mailed directly to the MedStars office at the address on the form. Your application and references must be complete by the deadline in order to be accepted.
If you have questions about the application procedure, please contact the MedStars office: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
MedStars is sponsored by the Area Health Education Center Program Office and the four regional AHEC centers throughout Oregon.
Brain Awareness Teacher Workshop 2012
Please join us for the 14th Annual
Brain Awareness Teachers Workshop
Broadcast Live from OHSU
Saturday, January 21, 2012
9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
at the following sites:
-
Mercy Medical Center -- Roseburg
-
Lane Community College -- Florence Campus, Florence
-
Curry General Hospital -- Gold Beach
-
South Coast ESD -- Coos Bay
Food For Thought: How Diet Influences Brain Health
Dr. Gary Wenk, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology, Neuroscience, Molecular Virology, Immunology and Medical Genetics
Department of Pscyhology, Ohio State Univeristy
Learn about Dr. Wenk's work at http://faculty.psy.ohio-state.edu/wenk/
Schedule:
9:30 - 10:00 a.m. Networking and Light Refreshments
10:00 - 10:15 a.m. Welcome from OHSU
10:15 - 11:15 a.m. Dr. Gary Wenk, Ph.D.
"How Diet Influences Brain Health"
11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Questions and Discussion
Registration:
Deadline is Friday, January 13, 2012. Register now, there is still space!
Forms are available at:
http://healthyoregon.com/images/ahec/pdf/2012registrationform.pdf
Cost: FREE
Questions:
Contact Dianne Halbert at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 800.501.1566, Ext. 200
Attendees will receive three Professional Development Units from the Office of Science Education Opportunities (SEO)
There will be a raffle for free tickets to Gunther von Hagens' Body Worlds at OMSI at each site!
Sponsored by Area Health Education Center of Southwest Oregon (AHECSW), the SOAR Committee and SEO at OHSU.
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