Health Center program for young volunteers garners $1 million

Efforts to recruit high school students to volunteer in the health care professions and to develop an interest in future health care careers have received a big boost from a $1 million federal grant.

The grant is from Learn and Serve America, an arm of the Corporation for National and Community Service agency.

The Northwestern Connecticut Area Health Education Center (AHEC) in Middlebury, part of the School of Medicine's Connecticut AHEC Program, has been awarded funds to develop and maintain high-quality, community-based, service-learning programs.

The three-year grant will provide funding for AHEC's Youth Health Service Corps, established in 2004 to engage students in community service.

"The corps helps meet the needs of the community, enhances education, and promotes civic participation," says Patricia Harrity, executive director of the Northwestern Connecticut AHEC in Middlebury, who wrote the grant.

"We are thrilled to receive this highly competitive award. It recognizes our efforts and the importance of the corps' impact within the community."

Corps training is provided to high school students from groups underrepresented in the health professions.

They are then placed in local organizations that serve medically vulnerable populations, says Dr. Bruce Gould, director of the Connecticut AHEC Program at the UConn Health Center.

"The project strives to provide support to strained health agencies by tapping into resources already within the community," he says.