2018 Newsletter Volume Two

ABOUT US... Catskill Hudson Area Health Education Center (AHEC) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and one of nine AHECs in New York State. The purpose of Area Health Education Centers is to develop, implement, and support educational programs for K-12 students, health professions students, medical students, career seekers, and standing health professionals to introduce, encourage, and promote health professions in order to improve regional healthcare accessibility and outcomes. Catskill Hudson AHEC is located in Highland, NY and our center’s regional outreach consists of eleven counties including Columbia, Delaware, Dutchess, Greene, Orange, Otsego, Putnam, Rockland, Schoharie, Sullivan and Ulster.

MEET OUR NEWEST BOARD MEMBER

Claire Parde, MS Executive Director, Healthcare Consortium Claire Parde is the Executive Director of the Healthcare Consortium, a not-for-profit organization founded in 1998 which aims to improve healthcare in the rural communities of Columbia and Greene Counties.  Claire is a member of the Columbia County Community Services Board and Chair of its Alcohol and Substance Abuse Subcommittee, a member of the Columbia County Opioid Epidemic Response Committee, a member of Assemblymember Didi Barrett’s Human Services Advisory Council and the Community Advisory Council of the New York State Health Foundation, a Trustee of Columbia Memorial Health, and a Board Member for the New York State Association for Rural Health.  Claire lives in the Village of Athens in Greene County with her husband and two children.

Introducing our Suite of Grade-School Health Career Awareness Programs

When most younger students are asked to name two healthcare professions, generally they will respond, “doctors and nurses.” They may not be aware of the vast variety of clinical and non-clinical health providers and the services they deliver to their patients. Therefore, medical visits, procedures, and terminology can be (at the very least) intimidating to some younger students.

 Health Career Kids, (our newest program) is a collection of fun, age-appropriate, educational games that are designed to introduce K-6 students to a variety of health careers while familiarizing them with health procedures and medical terminology through attention-grabbing, interactive activities. Students will gain valuable new insights while having fun.

P lease visit our website at www.chahec.org to learn more about Health Career Kids and our comprehensive suite of health career awareness student programs, or contact our staff directly at (845) 883-7260 .

Lee Burns, Director of the New York State Department of Health (Bureau of EMS) retires.  Catskill Hudson Area Health Education Center would like to sincerely congratulate Lee Burns, BS, EMT-P, CIC-RF on her well-deserved, recent retirement as Director of the NYS Department of Health Bureau of EMS and Trauma Systems.  Lee is a Charter Member of the Catskill Hudson AHEC Emergency Responder Leadership Academy Development Committee since it began in 2005 (then called the EMS Leadership Academy) and has presented many times. Over the years, she has been influential in all aspects of the development of this program, expanding its notoriety, and setting its place as one of Catskill Hudson AHEC’s flagship programs by contributing her leadership skills, expertise in the field of Emergency Services, candor in critical areas, and relatable humor (which is Lee’s calling card). For all these things and so much more, we thank you, Lee and will have words of praise for you at the Emergency Responder Leadership Academy for years to come!

2018 Health Professions Seminar: "Navigating LGBT Adolescent Heath for the Healthcare Provider" In 2013, Catskill Hudson AHEC introduced the Health Professions Seminars  to increase the knowledge and awareness of important healthcare issues surrounding LGBT patient care and encourage attending health professionals and their staff to adopt LGBT culturally competent practices to provide exceptional healthcare to all of their patients. As a result, approximately 95% of attendees reported that they will work toward integrating lessons learned into their practice. Attendees and supporters agreed, “Excellent program on severely needed content! Consider this as an annual or semi-annual program,” “Excellent presenters with diverse backgrounds and information. It was very eye-opening,” “With these types of trainings, persistence, and optimism, I believe we will prevail in getting the word out!” Because of the increased health threats and treatment barriers that continue to compromise quality patient care within the LGBT community, Catskill Hudson AHEC will address obstacles and ways to improve healthcare delivery systems specifically affecting the adolescent LGBT community. The 2018 Health Professions Seminars entitled, " Navigating LGBT Adolescent Health for the Healthcare Provider" will be presented to all healthcare professionals and staff providing healthcare to the LGBT community, on July 13, 2018 at Marist College.

The NYSAHEC System is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under the Award titled Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Program (U77). The content and information is solely the responsibility of the authors and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government website.

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