2nd Look Weekend: Spreading the word about the importance of caring for underserved populations and primary care with prospective medical student applicants to the University of Connecticut. Team members facilitate a brief presentation about the UST/AHEC Scholars Program and a Q&A session.

*Affording Medications: Helping patients with strategies to afford medications.

*Asthma Camp: A camp for children ages 6-12 years living with this chronic disease. UST/AHEC Scholars help elementary school students explore and learn about asthma in a fun and exciting way. The children learn about asthma triggers, medication education and coping skills. Parents/guardians will attend a Q&A led by a health care professional about the treatment of asthma.

*Biomedical Engineering Discovery Program: A Saturday immersion program for middle and high school students about the biomedical engineering field as it applies to health care. UST/AHEC Scholars work directly with students to accomplish their hands-on activity, which may involve building a hydraulic arm or designing and building a prosthetic leg or heart valve.

*Brushing Bunny: Teaches children about the importance of oral hygiene through story-telling and sharing information about what to expect when seeing a dental provider. Brushing Bunny is offered to childcare centers/programs and elementary schools enrolling underserved children.

Connecticut Junior Science and Humanities Symposium: JSHS is designed to challenge and engage students (grades 9-12) in science, technology, engineering or mathematics. Urban Service Track/AHEC Scholars assist with the symposium throughout the day, including serving on health career panels and presenting an ethics exercise.

Connecticut Children's Medical Center/UConn Health HIV/Pediatrics/Family Holiday Social: Join families/children for the annual holiday social by coordinating arts and crafts activities.

Connecticut Mission of Mercy: Sponsored by the Connecticut State Dental Association, scholars and faculty support the pharmacy and medical triage, serve as medical interpreters, patient escorts, and patient educators, and have the opportunity to observe in the dental clinic. Over 2,000 patients and nearly a million dollars’ worth of free dental care are provided over the course of one weekend. It is usually held in early spring.

*Community Garden Initiative: Promoting community gardening, better nutrition, and health promotion activities within the Burgdorf Clinic, UST/AHEC Scholars work with community agencies and the public to plant, maintain and nurture multiple community gardening beds. Activities begin in the spring and culminate early fall.

*Community Health Fairs: Urban Service Track/AHEC Scholars and faculty participate in numerous health fairs throughout the state each year. Services include hypertension, obesity, oral health screenings, and Ask the Pharmacist plus a variety of health promotion education including healthy eating, immunization awareness, diabetes, oral health, smoking cessation and prevention education. The following programs fall under this category:

•  Neighbor Housing Services of New Britain Health Fair (mid/late June)
• Greater Hartford NAACP Family Day (mid/late August)
• Simpson-Waverly Health Fair (mid/late September to early October)
• National Primary Care Week Afternoon of Service (mid/late October to early November)
• *Bloomfield/West Hartford Health Department Initiative (throughout the year)
• *Going Beyond Initiative (throughout the year; agencies and locations rotate): Reaching out to populations not typically seen at other outreach events
• Go Red Women’s Heart Health: Collaborating with the American Heart Association, this event is typically held in March. UST/AHEC Scholars provide pre-luncheon wellness screenings and education.
• *Sickle Cell Walk-a-Thon and Health Expo (early/mid October)

*From Wheeze to Breeze: Community education around understanding asthma and COPD triggers and medications.

*Health Careers Awareness: UST/AHEC Scholars work with students K-16 through a variety of programs to expose disadvantaged children and teens to opportunities in health careers. Programs include Pathways/Senderos, Problem-Based Learning and Clinical Skills Immersion, and the CT Junior Science and Humanities Symposium,  among others.

*Hispanic Senior Center: Utilizing Spanish language skills, UST/AHEC Scholars provide special health promotion and fun activities with older adults at the Hispanic Senior Center of Hartford. Activities run the gamut from holiday treats for those with diabetes, oral health and medication education, to bingo!

*Immunization Education: Promoting awareness of the importance of vaccination in adults as well as dispelling misconceptions of various vaccines.

*Migrant Farm Worker Clinic: Making health care accessible to the 17,000 to 20,000 migratory workers residing in Connecticut by establishing mobile clinics at their worksites (farms). The MFW Clinic operates from late June through late September.

National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) Policy and Issues Forum: An inter-professional team of UST/AHEC Scholars are selected to attend the annual NACHC Conference in Washington, DC. Scholars have the opportunity to attend the Forum as well as participate in Capitol Hill Visits to state representatives.

*No Ifs, Ands, or Butts: Focuses on smoking cessation education at community health events to a variety of age ranges.

*Nutrition Detectives: UST/AHEC Scholars teach 2nd and 3rd graders about making better food choices in a fun and engaging way at elementary schools enrolling urban children.

*Pathways/Senderos Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program: Working with the Pathways/Senderos Center staff to deliver health careers awareness programming for 6th-12th graders after school. Topics include: nutrition for healthy teens, oral health tips and careers in dental medicine, health careers jeopardy, poison control/awareness for babysitters, smoking prevention, etc.

Problem-Based Learning and Clinical Skills Immersion: Geared toward first- and second-year college students, this one-day program allows learners to step into the role of a health professional and participate in a clinical skills activity, learn about different health careers, and interact with current health professions students.

*Smiling Seniors: Oral health education provided to older adults that is fun and engaging. Utilizing interprofessional teams of UST/AHEC Scholars, Smiling Seniors teaches participants proper hygiene techniques as well as the role played by medications, nutrition, adaptive appliances, and chronic disease in oral health care.

*Spring Forward – Don’t Fall Back: Engage older adults in fall prevention educational activities that are fun and relevant for seniors.

*Tar Wars: Focuses on tobacco free education and messaging for elementary school children. Tar Wars is a program of the American Academy of Family Physicians. This is a “plug-in" program facilitated in the classroom by UST/AHEC Scholars.

*Teacher Professional Development Sessions: UST/AHEC Scholars work with the administration and school nurse to identify health care issues affecting Smalley Academy Elementary pupils. Topics include but are not limited to asthma, nutrition, and oral health education.

Other community outreach and advocacy opportunities may become available.

__________________________________________________________________________________

* Denotes activities that occur multiple times through the year.