Project HEALTH Promotes Good Health
When Brown University undergraduates Brad Mak and Felicia Kuo decided
to launch an innovative new initiative called Project HEALTH (Helping
Empower, Advocate and Lead Through Health), they didn’t have
to look far for help. They approached Lifespan to make the project
a reality.
Mak and Kuo modeled their program after a similar one at Harvard
and MIT, where Project HEALTH volunteers initiate programs to improve
the health of children and their families. "We were really
inspired by their community service and activism and by their concept
of directly serving the community," says Kuo.
After their model was in place, Make and Kuo developed mentoring
relationships with HCH’s director of pediatric ambulatory medicine
Anthony Alario, MD, asthma specialist Catherine Mansell, RN, and
adolescent pediatrician Rosalind Vaz, MD, and community leaders.
"We’re delighted to be a part of Project HEALTH,"
says Lifespan youth initiatives project coordinator John Morgan,
who helped match the students with mentors. "It’s a way
for us to foster community and student connections and to share
our expertise at the same time."
Swim Program Makes a Splash
One of the initiative’s first projects was to improve the
quality of life for kids with asthma, a disease that strikes inner
city children twice as often as other children.
They created a swim program, coordinated by the CVS/pharmacy
Draw A Breath Asthma Education Program and the Southside Boys
and Girls Club.
"Swimming is ideal for these children because swimming is
an activity that triggers the fewest asthmatic complications,"
says Mansell. "It allows kids to realize they can do the same
things other kids can do, despite their asthma." Mansell also
arranged for participants to receive free devices to help control
asthma.
Four student coordinators, under the mentorship of Mansell and
Southside director Lisa Cardoza, designed a five-week education
and swim program. Volunteers taught asthma physiology, triggers
and treatment through crafts and activities that appeal to children.
Each session included a swimming class to help them improve cardiovascular
and pulmonary capacity and to learn water safety. Volunteers also
met with family members to promote more asthma-friendly home environments
by lessening the presence of allergens such as dust and mold.
The program was so successful, Mansell and the volunteers are planning
another 12-week swim program in the fall.
Eating Well, Living Well
In addition to its asthma program, Project HEALTH also sponsored
a pilot program to promote fitness and nutrition for adolescent
girls. Under the direction of Vaz, the girls learned healthy eating
habits and the importance of regular exercise.
A family help desk, located at HCH and supervised by Alario, provides
families with information about health insurance, food and housing
cash assistance, child care, job training and domestic violence
intervention.
"Project HEALTH is a win-win situation," says Alario.
"Students learn to interact with people of different socioeconomic
backgrounds. They also are able to directly help members of the
community, and to help us to provide services to more people in
need."
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