Community June 26, 2008
YNHH and Washington School Celebrate 20 Years of Learning, Fun and Parasites
In the world of school-business partnerships, it's unusual to have a relationship as long-running as Yale- New Haven's with Washington School in West Haven. For the past 20 years, YNHH employees have gone to Washington School to share information in their classrooms and for 20 years, the students have visited Yale-New Haven to see how a YNHH and Washington School celebrate 20 years of learning, fun and parasites hospital really works.
To honor the hospital's commitment to the school and effectiveness as a partner, Washington School students and faculty held a spirited rally in May.
"We started this program to expose kids to health care and reinforce what they were learning in the classroom," said Dee Melio, program coordinator, Community and Government Relations.
"When the students actually visit the hospital and see it in action, their classroom work becomes more relevant," Melio explained. "Our partnership is integral to what students are learning."
The hospital departments which participate with the kindergarten through- fifth-grade Washington students include Laboratory Medicine, Food and Nutrition Services, Clinical Engineering, Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Pediatric Dentistry and Marketing and Communications.
Vin Piscitelli, supervisor, Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, looks forward to the students' visit each January and works with his colleagues to ensure that their visit is instructive and interesting.
"We have a full collection of parasites, tapeworms, roundworms and ticks to show them - plus we have a nice collection of germs," says Piscitelli. "We show them how we culture bacteria to see what is causing a patient's infection and they also get to use the five-headed teaching microscope - the kids love the experience and ask great questions."
Washington School honored the following employees for contributions to the partnership. Laboratory Medicine volunteers included: Peter Marone, director; Pat Gelineau, assistant administrative manager; Vincent Piscitelli; Rebecca Ross, assistant chief, Blood Bank; and Edmund Sullivan, manager, Hematology.
Food and Nutrition Services employees also provide valuable information about nutrition and the workings of the massive kitchens at YNHH. The volunteers - all from the Nutrition Clinic - include: Lisa Tartamella-Kimmel, coordinator; Susann Boroczky, clinical dietitian; and Ellen Liskov, outpatient nutrition specialist.
The following employees round out the students' exposure to healthcare careers and healthful tips: Charles Vaughn, technician, Clinical Engineering; Marion Mangino Barnes, administrative assistant, Marketing and Communications; Karen Johns, R.N., Pediatric Emergency Department; and Ardisa Smalls, senior dental hygienist, Pediatric Dental Clinic.
"Our friends from Yale-New Haven Hospital are here today and they've been here for us for 20 years," said Tim Van Winkle, principal. "This partnership is the best - this is totally the best for our kids!"
Article originally appeared in the June 26, 2008 issue of the Bulletin employee newsletter (page 1)
http://www.ynhh.org/bulletin_archive/2008/062608_Bulletin.pdf
