March 15, 2004
John Dickens, appropriately attired, reads Dr. Suess to elementary students in Bethel.
by Anna Simon, CHAP Director of Education
To commemorate Dr. Seuss's 100th Birthday, the YKHC Well Child Program promoted literacy. On March 2, Anna Simon, CPNP, and Kayle York, FNP-C, trained Medical Providers at the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Regional Hospital (YKDRH) on the Reach Out and Read Program(r).
Reach out and Read(r) provides the link between literacy and a healthy childhood. At Well Child visits, from 6 months to 5 years, healthcare providers provide information on the importance of reading aloud and give new, developmentally appropriate books to the children to take home.
The Well Child Program applied for and was awarded funding to become an Official Reach Out and Read® site. This Program will be initiated this month at the Pediatric, Yukon, and Kusko Outpatient Clinics at YKDRH, the Subregional Clinics (SRC) in Aniak, Emmonak, St. Mary's, and the Toksook Bay Clinic. So far, eight Community Health Practitioners from the three SRCs, Toksook Bay Clinic and one itinerant have been trained.
In further celebration of reading, the Well Child Program sponsored a birthday party for Dr. Seuss at Mikelnguut Elitnaurviat (ME) Elementary School. Students were treated to birthday cake, punch, and readings from beloved Dr. Seuss books. A collection of Dr. Seuss books was donated to the school library.
The Well Child Program would like to thank ME School for giving us the opportunity to celebrate reading and Dr. Seuss's birthday with the children.over, we would like to thank the following volunteers who assisted us in our event at ME: Anna Simon, Kayle York, Nancy Kaiser, and Helen Merdian of the YKHC Well Child Program; Kyla Hagan, Jeff Hollabaugh and John Dickens of YKHC Injury Control and EMS Department; Deshan Foret and Deborah Burnard of YKHC Community Health and Wellness Department; and Emily Koehler-Platten, YKHC Village Operations student hire. Moreover, we would like to thank the following volunteers who assisted us in our event at ME: Anna Simon, Kayle York, Nancy Kaiser, and Helen Merdian of the YKHC Well Child Program; Kyla Hagan, Jeff Hollabaugh and John Dickens of YKHC Injury Control and EMS Department; Deshan Foret and Deborah Burnard of YKHC Community Health and Wellness Department; and Emily Koehler-Platten, YKHC Village Operations student hire.