Fourth HealthCORE STEM Summer Camp Inspires 150 Students

Baptist Health Sciences University (BHSU) and Baptist Memorial Health Care hosted 150 high school and middle school students from the tristate area for the fourth HealthCORE STEM Summer Camp, held Monday, June 9 through Friday, June 13. Nearly 50 camp presenters and 20 camp counselors helped make the summer camp a success.
“Both high school and middle school students were highly engaged in camp activities. If parents had to check students out for an appointment, the students requested to come back to camp to finish the day out,” said Chair and Professor of Health Administration and Public Health at BHSU Briana Jegier, Ph.D.
Campers enjoyed a variety of activities, including learning basic first aid and CPR, solving “Skeleton CSI,” studying fluids and electrolytes, examining histology and pathology images, donning personal protective equipment (PPE), discovering interprofessional education (IPE), doing yoga and other fitness exercises, and having a field day and cookout. For the first time, campers participated in some seminars at the BHSU College of Osteopathic Medicine building.
Some of the most popular camp activities included dissections in the lab and “Aquafor 101,” an activity that featured an edible ice cream demonstration showing how pollutants affect aquifers. Students also took field trips to Knowledge Quest’s Green Leaf Learning Farm, Baptist Memorial Hospital-Crittenden, and Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women.
“The campers made great contacts for future volunteering at Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women,” said Baptist System Senior Community Involvement Coordinator and Assistant Professor of Practice in Public Health at BHSU Ann Marie Wallace.
The camp is part of the Baptist HealthCORE community outreach initiative to help students interested in health care professions, alleviate health care worker shortages, and eliminate health disparities.
If you’re interested in volunteering for the camp, providing an activity or supporting Baptist HealthCORE efforts, please email [email protected].
______________________________________________________________________________________________
This article was originally published on Baptist Leader.
BHSU and BMHCC hosted 150 middle and high school students from the tristate area for the fourth annual HealthCORE STEM Summer Camp, held June 9–13, with support from nearly 50 presenters and 20 counselors.