K-12 Initiatives – Teaching Early for Access to Careers in Health (TEACH)

The TEACH initiative is well underway promoting health careers to K-12 students throughout the 47 counties NAHEC serves in Northern Michigan.

Currently TEACH is being offered in:

• The Copper Country (Houghton, Keweenaw and Baraga Counties) funded through a $4,000 grant from the Portage Health Foundation.
• Mackinac Island Schools through a $950 grant from the Mackinac Island Community Foundation.
• The Traverse City area with a $3,500 grant from the Traverse Area Community Foundation.
• The Marquette, KI Sawyer and Escanaba area schools.

TEACH involves collaboration with 11th and 12th graders in local chapters of Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) who NAHEC trains to deliver “The Great Hospital Adventure” puppet show to K-12 students in their respective regions.

Copper Country ISD HOSA members will make presentations in April and May 2006.

Other TEACH components include NAHEC participation in and sponsorship of youth career fairs and in-school presentations by health professionals and current students in the health professions (i.e. third and fourth year students from the UP campus of the MSU College of Human Medicine).

To date more than 1,000 Copper Country 10th and 12th graders have been reached by NAHEC via a career Fair on February 28, 2006, at Michigan Technological University in Houghton.

Other recent/planned NAHEC activities:

• Facilitated a health professionals presentation in February for Native American youth from Baraga at Northern Michigan University in Marquette
• Supported UPHEC’s booth at the Munising Health Fair in March
•  Will participate in a health fair in the KI Sawyer schools on April 25, 2006
• Is collaborating with community-wide preparations for the Marquette-Alger RESA career day on April 28, 2006 in Marquette.

NAHEC is also coordinating a collection of children’s book on the health professions for distribution to UP schools and libraries. This project will be ongoing and likely extend to the northern lower peninsula over the coming year.

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