When St. Bernard Parish School Board officials sought a community partner to help launch a federally funded after-school program for at-risk children, Chalmette Medical Center (CMC) immediately came to mind.

"We thought it was a wonderful opportunity to bring in the hospital to provide health information to the students," says Susan Buras, the board's project director for its 21st Century Community Learning Center Grant Program. "Hospitals are in the business of education, so it's a perfect fit."

"It's a great opportunity for us to reach out to our community's most at risk children and families," adds Kathy DeRouen, CMC Marketing Director. "At a very impressionable age, it's a fun way for the students to learn about health and be exposed to experiences they might otherwise never encounter."

The grant program serves 550 children at P.G.T. Beauregard Middle School and W. Smith Jr. and J.F. Gauthier Elementary schools. The program, which runs two hours after school Mondays through Thursdays, provides enrichment experiences and bolsters academic achievement. A snack is provided also, and the children are bused home.

The elementary school students spend an hour reading. Depending on their school, they also might have computer technology, recreation, arts and crafts and music classes. Middle school students are exposed to 10 to 12 different offerings daily. For math enrichment, for example, the students play math games when they visit the computer/technology lab. They also wear pedometers and graph how many steps they take while playing basketball during a physical education class.

CMC provides health education for the students. Andrea Philippi, R.N., B.S.N., Director of Education at CMC, for example, brought the children surgical masks and caps while discussing what happens if they are taken to the hospital. She also arranged for a dentist to explain the importance of toothbrushing. Thanks to a manufacturer, each student went home with a toothbrush.

The hospital incorporates exhibits from its Traveling Medicine Show (click here), including an ultraviolet light demonstration that underscores the fact that many children aren't washing their hands as well as they should.

Finally, CMC also provides semiannual evening health screenings for children's parents.

"The most wonderful thing is not only that they're learning about health and what happens if they go to the hospital," Buras says, "but they're also having positive experiences with adults.

"What a way to bolster confidence … getting the chance to meet medical professionals on just an informational basis. Most of the time kids interact with a doctor only when something goes wrong."

9001 Patricia Street, P.O. Box 1727, Chalmette, LA 70044 (504) 620-6000