In December of 2012, the Lehigh County Medical Society was presented with the Grant for Health Living in Ethnic Communities, by the Pennsylvania Medical Society. This grant was for the LCMS to work with the Health Careers Club of Raub Middle School, of the Allentown School District. This grant was to help expand the Health Careers Club, and to have the LCMS aide in this action. The Health Career Club has existed to give students information, experience, and exposure to various health care fields.
As we have continued to work with the Health Careers Club some things the LCMS has been able to do are, expand the existing program almost weekly throughout the school year, have the students visit the local hospitals for educational trips, visit local colleges, meet monthly with Medical School students to learn about various health topics, help stimulate interest in healthcare careers, and promote leadership development.
This program can serve as a model for other county medical societies interested in developing partnerships with local school districts to improve the health in their communities, now and for the future.
Since the 2014-15 school years, we have been glad to also have a Health Career Club at William Allen High School. Below are slides of various trips the students took over the past years.
In the spring of 2014 we created an educational fund at the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation to help with these programs. If you wish to see more of the Lehigh County Medical Society Education Fund, or Lehigh Valley Community Foundation, click on their name.
