The Stratford Public High Schools invite your participation in their successful ELECTRONIC MENTORING PROGRAM.

The Mentees:  Stratford and Bunnell High School students

The Mentors:  Quinnipiac University Health Professions students and other CT health care professionals

Framework:     Once/week correspondence via e-mail

Timeframe:      10 weeks beginning February 10, 2012

Benefits for the high school student:

• Gain new perspectives on a wide range of health careers
• Gain knowledge of skills required for specific careers
• Attain awareness of the world of work
• Make connection between school and career
• Make informed academic and career decisions
• Begin to form a network of professionals

Benefits for the mentor:

• Make connections between the business and educational communities
• Contribute to the growth and development of tomorrow’s workforce
• Be more appreciative of youth from diverse backgrounds
• Gain the satisfaction of having positively affected a young person’s life!

Structured weekly topics include:

• Attendance and Punctuality
  
• Ethical Conduct
• Employability Skills
  
• Problem Solving
• Adaptability & Flexibility
  
• Initiative & Self Direction
• Leadership & Responsibility
  
• Job Retention & Growth

Questions?      Call…..

Diane Christiano, Stratford Public Schools:  203.385.4281 or christianod@stratfordk12.org

Joan Lane, Southwestern AHEC:  203.372.5503 or jlane@swctahec.org

Ready to sign on as an E-Mentor?    Make that phone call!

Please bear with us – if necessary please reach us on our cell phones:  Meredith – 203 455-1135; Joan – 203 338-1067 and Millie:  203 338-1291.  Thank you for your patience and understanding!   Below – here we are, planning our strategy for working this week!

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.

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.”

To learn more, click on the link for more information about receiving free dental care or volunteering to help with the event. http://www.csda.com/ctmom/ctmom.html

CT MOM - Providing Adult Dental Care for those in Need

With a focus on youth service, the University provided space for students of all ages to come out and participate in mini-service projects throughout the morning.  Students had the opportunity to bake biscuits for stray dogs, create books to send to children in developing countries, knit caps for chemotherapy patients, paint peach murals, put together care packages for Haitians, and write letters and poetry to send to service men. 

The afternoon was spent at an indoor carnival and health fair, also on the UB Campus.  Students played carnival games with children, tended to health fair stations and participated in a few more mini-projects (making peace cranes and drawing peace posters).  Students were also able to watch gymnastics and tae kwon do demonstrations, in an effort to portray a healthy lifestyle through sports and exercise.

Over 65 of AHEC’s Youth Health Service Corps students from Stratford, Bunnell, Harding, Bassick and Central High Schools provided service throughout the day! Share their experiences by looking at the photos: http://www.flicker.com/photos/swahec/

Trumbull, Connecticut, January 21, 2010—-Encouraging a lifetime of good dental hygiene, and offering urgently-needed dental care to children without dental insurance are the goals of the Give Kids A Smile® 2010 program.

In recognition of National Dental Health Month in February, 57 area dentists will treat children, ages 3 to 18, in their offices who otherwise lack access to affordable dental care. For the past four years, the Southwestern Area Health Education Center’s Oral Health Bridgeport Initiative (ORBIT), in collaboration with the Bridgeport Dental Association, has successfully supported this important initiative, which helps to increase public awareness for children’s need to receive regular dental care.

Beginning on Tuesday, Feb. 2, GKAS® participating dentists in Bridgeport, Stratford, Trumbull, Fairfield, Southport, Monroe, Shelton, Milford, Orange and New Haven opened their offices to provide free dental care. The following services are offered: cleanings, exams, x-rays, sealants, fluoride treatments, fillings, crowns, pulpotomies, root canals and,extractions.

Appointments must be made in advance by calling the Southwestern AHEC’s Oral Health Care Coordinator Vani Anand, MPH, at (203) 372-5503, ext 12.

Funded by a grant from the Connecticut Health Foundation, Give Kids A Smile® in 2009 provided dental services for 450 local children, said Meredith Ferraro, Executive Director of Southwestern AHEC.

Ferraro noted, “We were fortunate to have 52 dentists who provided services valued at more than $150,000.”

Families are encouraged to call for an appointment as soon as possible. “We are also scheduling appointments throughout the entire month of February so that we can accommodate as many children as possible,” Ferraro noted.

Participating dentists recognize the need for families to establish good dental habits at an early age. Routine dental care at home includes daily brushing and flossing as well as regular dental checkups. This year the American Dental Association strongly urges families to also establish a “dental home” for their children so that they will have a comfortable, familiar setting to receive regular dental care.

Untreated dental problems affect children’s overall health, said Dr. Brian Amoroso, president of the Bridgeport Dental Association. Studies reveal that dental caries, or tooth decay, is the most prevalent chronic childhood disease, resulting in excruciating pain, infection, difficulty eating, sleeping and speaking.

“Children who do not have dental insurance are a population that cannot fight for themselves because of their (financial) limitations,” Dr. Amoroso said. “When you have a toothache, you are easily distracted and cannot focus in class. You may even have to miss classes because of the pain.”

Dental problems also exacerbate children’s feelings of low self-esteem and contribute to a poor self-image.

“It’s wonderful because many local dentists have quietly been taking care of children who do not have access to dental insurance for years,” said Ferraro. “Our goal with the Give Kids A Smile® initiative is to put the children who do not have dental insurance together with the dentists who are willing to help.”

More than ever, as the faltering economy continues to lead to job reduction and loss of insurance benefits, free dental care for children is needed.

“The Give Kids A Smile® program is one that my staff and I have truly enjoyed being a part of over the last few years,” said Dr. Salvatore Pizzino, the Bridgeport Dental Association’s program’s chairperson. “Since 2007, it’s been exciting to see the steady increase in the number of children receiving treatment as well as an increase in the number of members volunteering their services. It’s fulfilling to give back to the community, especially to children in need, and I am fortunate to have the ability to do that.  During these difficult economic times, our help is even more appreciated and I hope that we are an inspiration to other people in our community.”

The Connecticut State Dental Association applauded last year’s program in the greater Bridgeport region. Participating dentists are also recognized by the Southwestern AHEC and the Bridgeport Dental Association at their annual meeting in May.

Tax deductible donations to the Give Kids A Smile® 2010 program are also appreciated. Checks should be made payable to “Southwestern AHEC” and mailed to Southwestern AHEC, 5520 Park Avenue, Suite 109, Trumbull, CT  06611.

For more information about the program, you may contact Vani Anand, MPH, ORBIT’s oral health care coordinator at (203) 372-5503, ext. 12; Dr. Brian Amoroso, President of the BDA, at (203) 333-3636; or Dr. Salvatore Pizzino, BDA’s GKAS Chairman, at (203) 255-5142.

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