Past Programs

In-A-Box is a series of kits designed for grade school students providing them an opportunity to explor body systems through hands on activities. Schools in our region can set up a borrowing agreement with OPAHEC to use the materials free of charge.

This program was funded by Northwest National Library of Medicine and used the Tox Town curriculum developed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to introduce middle school students to environmental health issues in everyday life. The curriculum included information in laboratory research and communication activities, stressing the relevance of science. The National Science Education Standards were used as the foundation for creation of this curriculum. Students participated in eleven lessons during the school year, ending the year with a science project that was exhibited at the school or in the community. No funding is currently available to continue this project. Please contact our office for additional information on the strategies we used to implement this program using a club approach in rural schools.

Oregon Coast Community College and Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital host an annual healthcare career fair at OCCC campus in the fall. Chemeketa Yamhill Campus and Capella Health of McMinnville host an annual healthcare career fair at CCC Yamhill campus in the spring. At both events local OPAHEC students are invited to participate in hands on activities sponsored by each of the participating departments. Please contact our office for more information.

This program was supported by Reser Family Foundation. It enhanced Pathways to Healthcare Careers by providing students the opportunity to become certified to provide First Aid and CPR to individuals in need of assistance. OPAHEC has continued to provide this vital training to all students participating in the programs.

This program was funded by Spirit Mountain Community Fund, Meyer Memorial Trust, and State of Oregon AHEC. Due to the high demand of healthcare careers, students were introduced to different healthcare careers and then guided to develop the skills essential for success in these fields. Students completed an overview of the healthcare system and learned hands-on-skills, such as patient intake skills, HIPAA and patient rights, and necessary soft skills. Program participants completed job shadows, service learning projects, and visited colleges and healthcare facilities.

Summer Programs are always a wonderful opportunity for students to develop skills and explore aspects of healthcare in greater depth than possible during the school year. In the past programs have been funded by Ford Family Foundation, Spirit Mountain Community Fund, Meyer Memorial Trust, Oregon State AHEC, and United Way of the Mid-Willamette Valley. For every program, students are introduced to high demand healthcare careers and college readiness workshops.

The summer academies are listed below:

• Pathways Summer Academy 2017: Hosted at Oregon State University. Different departments on campus and COMP-NW volunteered their time to introduce the students to college life, and different healthcare career paths taken after college. It ended with a Health Fair at the Boys & Girls Club of Corvallis.

• College Readiness Program 2016: Hosted at Western Oregon University for high school juniors providing students with workshops on preparing to apply for college.

• HCOP Summer Academy: A day camp offered at Newberg School District that offered courses in basic skills, math, science, and communication. After completion of the camp, each student earned credit to put toward their high school diploma.