YOUTH ON THE GO
Ulster BOCES Pre-University/New Visions Health students participated in the New York State Department of Health’s 2018 Celebration of National Public Health Week on April 3at Ellenville Regional Hospital.
The event’s theme was “Changing Our Future Together.”
The event, termed a Medical Grand Rounds session, was hosted by New York State Commissioner of Health Dr. Howard Zucker. Five Ulster BOCES students who also attend the Ellenville Central School District were invited to participate.
During the event, they heard from a panel of medical professionals including Steven Kelley, president and CEO of Ellenville Regional Hospital; Dr. Neil Calman, president and CEO of Institute for Family Health; Michaela Frazier, vice president of social support services at the Institute for Family Health; and Sirene Garcia, director of special programs at Finger Lakes Community Health. Topics discussed were collaborations between community health centers and hospitals, integrating social diagnosis into the patient encounter and the emerging role of telehealth in primary care.
The Medical Grand Rounds allows for healthcare professionals to hear from subject matter experts (from both inside and outside the state Department of Health) about issues relevant to the health of all New Yorkers. Its goal is that all New York state providers have access to timely and evidence-based information that can improve patient care, regardless of their practice setting.
The Pre-University/New Visions Health program introduces students to healthcare careers through intensive academics and teaches English, social studies and healthcare through an interdisciplinary curriculum. The students in this program have the opportunity to earn nine college credits.
The students spend three mornings a week at Ellenville Regional Hospital, where they shadow mentors in various departments, including the emergency room, operating room, physical therapy, billing, and the medical surgical unit.
••• Rifton student Brian Sweeney will travel to Peru this summer, with VISIONS Service Adventures, an international community service program for teens.
Sweeney will join other high school students from around the world in Urubamba, the historic Incan capital. There, they will live in the community, get to know the local customs and traditions, and tackle ambitious service projects that demonstrate the power of teens working for change.
In Urubamba, the students will build upon water conservation and irrigation work done by VISIONS and local partners for over a decade. The traditional rock and concrete irrigation channels provide efficient access to water for farmers as they face years of increasing drought. Students will also do maintenance and expansion at VISIONS-built preschools in the Sacred Valley.
Afternoons and weekends are set aside for regional travel and exploring the home-base area. In Peru, this includes a trip to Machu Picchu and other ruins, visiting historic Cusco, and hot spring soaks. The students will also have plenty of opportunities to practice their Spanish while they apprentice with local artisans, join pickup soccer games and shop at a food market.
All programs are overseen by adult leaders and longtime local partners, who guide and teach the students in hands-on construction and other development projects. Beyond completing service projects, the summer is an opportunity for students to explore the idea of community in both a local and global sense.
For more information about this trip and VISIONS, visit www.visions-service.com, call us at (406) 551-4423.