June 21, 2022- The Jerry J. Dawson Civic Leadership Institute (DCLI) launched year two of the healthcare boot camp on Monday.
High school students who are enrolled in the five-day boot camp, are introduced to the healthcare profession through a hands on experience at local healthcare organizations.
Students participating in the boot camp, also include participants from DCLI’s Residential CNA program.
The boot camp consists of job shadowing at Decatur Memorial Hospital, HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital, first aid and CPR training, a trip to St. John’s College in Nursing in Springfield, IL, and a chance to meet and learn about Decatur Ambulance.
The first day of the boot camp included a lunch and discussion with Drew Early, president & CEO at DMH, and Theresa Rutherford, president & CEO at HSHS St. Mary’s.
It is not every day that members of the community, let alone high school students get to sit and chat with hospital CEOs. The DCLI program provides high school students with the opportunities to be in the rooms they typically do not have a chance to be in, and open the doors to future careers.
“By virtue of you sitting in this room and having these conversations, today, you already have more experience and exposure than someone who wasn’t here,” Early said.
The commons themes from the conversation included equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility.
“Access to care is such a huge part, we all participate in the same community assessment, and right now it is still an issue in our community,” Rutherford said. “There are still people who don’t have the appropriate access to care. We talk a lot in society about diversity and inclusion; I think we also have to realize that it is not enough to think that everyone has access to care. Do they have access to care in a way that allows them to have a personal experience of healthcare?”
In addition to high school students conversing with Early & Rutherford, participants from DCLI’s first every Healthcare Interpreter’s cohort, were present for this discussion, as they will soon to be taking their exam for certification.
“We think this is an important need in our community,” Ruth Dendariarena, DCLI Interpreter participant said. “Everything starts with a simple conversation. I ask how this this can happen, and in 11 weeks with being together, we are now prepared to take the test and hopefully everything goes well.”
The healthcare boot camp is led by Dr. Juanita Morris, DCLI coordinator, Sonja Chargois, Community Engagement and EDI Coordinator, Shardai Hickmon, DCLI Healthcare coordinator, and Benie Kalala, Community Sourcing Strategist for HSHS St. Mary’s, and Alex Hickmon, DCLI CNA mentor.
To learn more about DCLI’s healthcare pillar, visit the DCLI website.
