Top Stories for September 17, 2001

>A Moment to Pause
>Thank You to Health Exploration Station
>Funding Opportunity: Humanities Projects for After School Programs
>Spotlight HEC: Community Health Education Center
>Who's "na-hec" Who: Therese C. Greene, M.H.S.
>Fresh Ideas: Human Body Exploration
>2002 NAHEC Conference Awards
>Share Your Funding Ideas
>Update: NAHEC Location Change

A MOMENT TO PAUSE
We've all had a lot to think about over the past seven days. Last Tuesday morning as I was leaving for the office, I first heard of the tragic events in New York and Washington. Alexis and I were preparing to box up our office stuff for the move downtown. But all I could think about was the whereabouts of my son in NYC. Not being able to call was scary. Fortunately, he called later to tell me he was OK and in Connecticut on business. Later, he called again to let me know that our friends and relatives were also OK. In the meantime, we got the office moved. Since then, I've been glued to the radio or TV. I've also been looking at Internet discussion groups and would like to share a couple of observations. ASTC President Gail Becker said, "While we can never forget the tragic events of September 11, each of us in our own way must do what we can to ensure a better future for the next generation". Eric Marshall of the New York Hall of Science wrote, "Our true enemies may be ignorance and the resulting intolerance…. Thank you all for your continuing efforts to help educate and empower the people of your communities…". I'm sure that all the NAHEC family feels and shares the hurt. I'm also sure that we feel more than ever our responsibility and commitment to the children. The Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia is offering a resource for parents on their homepage, "Suggestions for Helping Young Children Cope with a Disaster" at www.pleasetouchmuseum.org/grownups_flash.asp.
(Click on Educational Resources, and then Parenting Tips)

THANK YOU TO HEALTH EXPORATION STATION
A heartfelt thank you goes out to Cheryl McInerney and the staff of the Health Exploration Station and St. Joseph Mercy Health System in Canton, MI for hosting an outstanding 2001 NAHEC Annual Conference. We appreciate all of the hard work that Cheryl, Martha, Joy, Gretchen, and Jodi put into organizing and coordinating the event. A good time was definitely had by all! Thanks also to everyone who attended the conference, participated in the sharing sessions, and contributed their thoughts and ideas. We look
forward to seeing you at the 2002 conference in South Bend, IN August
28-30.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY FOR AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS
The National Endowment for the Humanities is accepting applications that respond to an RFP for Humanities Projects for After School Programs. The Divisions of Education Programs and Public Programs jointly seek proposals for the development, multi-site testing, and evaluation of content-rich humanities materials and activities for use in a variety of after-school settings. Two grants of $50,000 each are expected to be made. For details and application guidelines, visit http://www.neh.gov/grants/afterschool.html. The application deadline is November 1, 2001.

HEC SPOTLIGHT: COMMUNITY HEALTH EDUCATION CENTER (PETOSKEY, MI)
The Dean C. Burns Community Health Education Center in Petoskey, MI is dedicated to promoting good health and enhancing healthy lifestyles in the residents of northern Michigan. Opened in 1995, the Community Health Education Center is affiliated with Northern Michigan Hospital Foundation. Its mission is to provide health education and medical information to help patients, their families, and the general public make informed decisions concerning their health and healthcare. Each year, the Community Health Education Center has nearly 20,000 visitors participate in its programs including over 1,000 children particpating in its health screening program and over 6,000 people visiting its mobile Wellness Wagon. The Center's Children's Health Screening Program evaluates cardiovascular disease risk factors and general health in 5th graders throughout northern Michigan. The screening program provides a comprehensive report of the individual's findings with recommendations and physician referrals, when appropriate, and identifies areas where education should be considered in the school health curriculum. A cooperative venture with Northnern Michigan Hospital Foundation and the Northwest Michigan Community Health Agency, the Wellness Wagon addresses the lack of accessible and affordable healthcare available to many people in Northern Lower Michigan and the Upper Penninsula. The Wellness Wagon provides cardiovasular screenings, flu shots, and breast health services to the communities, as well as specific screening programs for schools, businesses, and churches. Through the screening services offered, risk factors are identified and pre-existing conditions are monitored. The Community Health Education Center also conducts wellness activities for employees at worksites throughout northern Michigan and offers lectures and programs on healthy living and support services for adults and children.

WHO'S "na-hec" WHO
For the past twenty years, Therese Greene has been a leader and educator in the field of health education. As the Director of Health Education at the Dean C. Burns Health Education Center, she has expanded health education and screening services to outreach communities throughout Michigan. Therese received her M.H.S. from Governors State University in Park Forest, IL in 1980 and a B.A. in Health Education from Central Michigan University. Her professional experience encompasses the full scope of leadership responsibilities in health education. Throughout her career, she has been involved with planning, developing, implementing, and evaluating health promotion, wellness, and patient education services for patients, their families, employees, and the general public. Therese has also been responsible for establishing local and state partnerships with health and education agencies. She is a member of the Society of Public Health Educators, NAHEC, Community Health Partnership Task Force, Heart Healthy Coalition of Northern Michigan, and the American Lung Association Council, Northwest Michigan Region.

2002 NAHEC CONFERENCE AWARDS
As was announced at the Annual Conference, begin thinking in the upcoming months of who you want to nominate for The First Annual Outstanding Educator Award and Outstanding Innovative Project Award. The awards are designed to recognize and encourage outstanding efforts in health education. Eligible nominees must have taught at a Health Education Center for at least one year and nominated centers must be members of NAHEC. Please send your nominations to Diane Pavelka, at dpavelka@dmns.org, by June 15, 2002.

FRESH IDEAS: HUMAN BODY EXPLORATION
If you're looking for new ways to teach about the human body, check out Human Body Explorations by Karen Kalumuck and the Exploratorium Teacher Institute. The book features 28 hands-on activities that help students discover how their bodies work on both the macroscopic and microscopic level. Visit their website, www.exploratorium.edu/ti/human_body/indexoldest.html, for a few sample activities from the book that can be used in your classroom.

SHARE YOUR FUNDING IDEAS
One of the best ways NAHEC members can learn about new sources of grant funding is to share their knowledge and experiences with one another. Stephanie O'Neil at CentraState Health Awareness Center has requested that NAHEC members share sources of funding with her in order to generate new ideas for funding sources. If you would like to share your funding ideas with Stephanie, you can email her at SOneill@Centrastate.com.

UPDATE: NAHEC LOCATION CHANGE
Just a reminder, NAHEC's national office recently moved to the Children's Health Education Center in downtown Milwaukee. The new address is: 1533 N. River Center Dr., Milwaukee, WI 53212-3919.
Telephone: 414-390-2187. Fax: 414-390-2199.

Send us your news items and sugestions to David Midland (dmidland@nahec.org) or Alexis Yoho (ayoho@nahec.org) by email, by phone at 414-266-3762, or by fax at 414-266-3988.