Do you want to to learn about the impact of tobacco on your health and your community, while exploring related health careers?

Day 1:  “What’s Up with Tobacco?” Personal and Societal Implications of Tobacco Use

Day 2: “Who’s Here to Help?”  Exploring Tobacco-Related Health Careers

Day 3: “Stand Up.  Speak Out.”  Public Advocacy: Effecting Change on a Health Issue

Day 4:  “Spread the Word.” Educating the Community

Day 5: “Share and Celebrate!”  Service Learning Presentations to the Community

Open to Bridgeport, Stratford and Norwalk high school students entering grades 10-12.   At the University of Bridgeport.

Sponsored by Southwestern AHEC, the American Lung Association of New England,  the University of Bridgeport, and the State of Connecticut Department of Public Health Tobacco Control Division.

CONTACT:  Vivian Munoz, vmunoz@swctahec.org or Joan Lane, jlane@swctahec.org  at (203) 372-5503

Southwestern AHEC, 5520 Park Avenue, Suite 109, Trumbull, CT  06611

What a Smile!

Gloria, an 8 y.o. girl from Bridgeport, had never seen a dentist.  Her mouth hurt and her mother heard about ORBIT’s Give Kids A Smile Program.   Thanks to the generosity of 63 dentists in the greater Bridgeport region, Gloria was one of 452 children who is now able to SMILE and be happy!   Funding to coordinate this program ends today, and donations are needed so we can keep children like Gloria from missing school due to tooth pain, and improving their self-esteem because they have a bright, and shining smile!   Please consider making a donation today – just click on the DONATE NOW button on the website!  Have a Happy New Year!

What better way to say goodbye to summer, and usher in the fall season, than with Southwestern AHEC’s Lobster Clambake? Enjoy delicious food, good music, and great company, while helping us continue to help others. All the proceeds are to benefit Southwestern AHEC, and the Give Kids A Smile^® Program in Greater Bridgeport.

Investigations in Health Careers Fall 2010 – Housatonic CC

Click on the link!

ORBIT Stars invitation-1 pg-FINAL

The current statistics are even more dramatic when measured against those in effect when Southwestern AHEC assumed responsibility for the Bridgeport immunization program in 2004.  At that time, the percentage of children up to date for their shots at age 24 months was just 63% (compared to 77% in 2009).

“Our success is possible because of the excellent collaboration we get from other local agencies, and the cooperation of Bridgeport’s pediatric and family practices,” according to Millie, who has lent her outreach expertise to the program since 2006.  “In particular, the WIC office [Women, Infants and Children program] is a critical part of the process of identifying the physicians of children ‘lost’ to the CT Immunization Registry and Tracking System.”

Southwestern AHEC’s Executive Director expressed her delight with the recognition, adding, “We look forward to continuing to work with the medical community to attain the State’s targeted 81% immunization rate for 2 year olds.”

Give Kids A Smile is the American Dental Association-endorsed, annual volunteer initiative to provide free dental care to children in need.  Dentists and dental hygienists from the Bridgeport Dental Association (BDA) volunteer their services, so that children with no dental insurance can receive both preventive care and treatment for oral health problems.

2010 will be the 4th year that Southwestern AHEC and the BDA have partnered to conduct Give Kids A Smile.  In February 2009, donated dental services valued at more than $139,000 were provided by 48 dentists to 323 children.  More than 50 dentists have already signed up to participate in February 2010.

For information, contact Oral Health Care Coordinator Vani Anand at (203) 372-5503 ext 12.

Young patient receives free care during Give Kids A Smile day 2009

Southwestern AHEC has the opportunity to return to a successful program it last conducted in Bridgeport in 2004. Under a contract with the Community Health Center Association of CT (CHC ACT), Community Health Outreach Workers will be trained to be integral members of the health care delivery team, providing appropriate services to underserved clients and diverse communities, such as immigrants.

The overall goal of this initiative is to increase the percentage of eligible children who are enrolled in HUSKY, the State’s Medicaid program for children. Community Health Workers (CHWs) who are familiar with the community and can present the HUSKY opportunity in a family-friendly manner are often most successful in meeting this goal.

Some of the specific objectives of the Community Health Outreach Worker training curriculum are to:

• Develop effective communication, advocacy, and culturally appropriate outreach and enrollment services.
• Learn data collection and documentation procedures.
• Learn to develop goals and treatment planning necessary to impact communities served.
• Become familiar with community agencies as referral sources and collaborative partners.
• Develop teamwork skills.

Southwestern AHEC’s Community Health Worker Curriculum further developed when serving as a Technical Assistance partner in the Community Health Worker National Education Collaborative, www.chw-nec.org from 2005 – 2007. This allowed us to participate in sharing best practices for educating Community Health Workers with others across the USA.

Carl Rush, Consultant - Community Resources, LLC, E. Lee Rosenthal, Ph.D, MS, MPH, Assistant Professor, University of Texas, El Paso, and Yvonne Lacey, Promotores in California working on the framework for education of Community Health Workers

Graduation of the Community Health Worker Class of 2003 with Mentors

 Main Street Pediatrics and Optimus Health Care on East Main Street held the top spots this year among all pediatric and family practices based in Bridgeport. A framed Certificate of Recognition was presented to each practice by Joan Lane and Milagrosa Seguinot of Southwestern Area Health Education Center (AHEC), the local agency contracted as part of the CT Immunization Action Plan Program. Joan and Millie work with local medical offices to ensure that children are enrolled in the CT Immunization Registry and Tracking System (CIRTS). CIRTS helps doctors and families maintain updated, comprehensive vaccine records for enrolled children. These records are invaluable when children enter day care or school, change pediatricians, or move out of state.

“We are delighted to receive this recognition for our vaccination efforts,” said Dr. Umanga Dawlaga, Director of Pediatrics at Optimus Health Care, a federally qualified health center with offices in Bridgeport, Stratford and Stamford. This was echoed by Drs. Sarah and Roy Schutzengel of Main Street Pediatrics, whose practice has had up-to-date rates of greater than 90% for 3 consecutive years.

Southwestern AHEC, a non-profit agency based in Trumbull, works to improve access to quality primary and preventive healthcare in southwestern CT by connecting students to careers, professionals to communities, and communities to better health.

Optimus Health Care's East Main Street Pediatrics Team receives vaccine honors.

Oral Health Bridgeport Initiative (ORBIT) urges area dentists to volunteer their services to make a real difference in the lives of children in need. Dentists can volunteer on February 5^th or on any other day in February that is convenient for them. Dentists can also choose how many children they will see and the types of services they or their hygienists will provide.

For the past three years in a row, ORBIT has successfully organized Give Kids A Smile® (GKAS), the American Dental Association – endorsed, annual, volunteer initiative, when caring dentists nation-wide donate dental services to low-income children, without access to care. For GKAS 2009, ORBIT coordinated the identification of 444 needy children from Bridgeport and Stratford, and the delivery of dental care valued at over $150,000, donated by 52 dentists belonging to the Bridgeport Dental Association.

The Connecticut State Dental Association has recognized ORBIT’s program as the most successful GKAS initiative in Connecticut and has appointed Vani Anand, ORBIT’s Oral Health Care Coordinator as a consultant to its state-wide GKAS Steering Committee. As a result, Southwestern AHEC is developing a GKAS CT Toolkit, so that ORBIT’s successful strategies can be implemented in other parts of the state. Local dental societies of Stamford and New Haven have approached ORBIT to help implement GKAS in their communities.

Dentists wishing to participate in GKAS 2010 are requested to contact Vani Anand, MPH, CHES, ORBIT’s Oral Health Care Coordinator at (203) 372-5503 X12. They can also receive more information about GKAS 2010 from Dr. Brian Amoroso, President of the BDA, at (203) 333-3636 or from Dr. Salvatore Pizzino, BDA’s GKAS Chairman, at (203) 255-5142.

Vani will follow up with identifying and scheduling kids for the dates and times dentists make available for care. ORBIT also solicits donations to help provide free transportation for children with out-of-town dental appointments, and no means of transportation. For those wishing to make a donation, please make your check payable to Southwestern AHEC, Inc. (fiduciary agent for ORBIT), and mail to: Southwestern AHEC, 5520 Park Avenue, Suite 109, Trumbull, CT 06611. Donations are tax deductible.