Photo courtesy of Kim Depue Logan Pollard, left, and Miranda Castillo train a comfort dog to work in an educational facility during a Marietta High School community health worker program practicum this year.

Ten high school seniors in Marietta are preparing for both a state certification they can use after graduation and for a teaching opportunity with their peers in May.

“We’re in the planning stages of a ‘What the Health? day,'” explained Marietta High School Teacher Kim Depue. “Just like a career day, there will be different workshops to rotate through, but this one is centered on community health and preventative health.”

Tentatively that event is scheduled for May 22, to encourage high school students to be more health-aware and active throughout their summer break.

While typically events like these are put on by school administrators Depue said this event will be led by the first cohort of students at the high school preparing for a community health worker certification through the Ohio Board of Nursing.

The class is the first of its kind at Marietta High School, and is in partnership with Ohio University, to prepare students not only for careers in the relatively new field of community health but also to introduce the myriad fields available in the field of public health.

Kerri Shaw, a field education instructor for Ohio University’s Department of Public and Social Health, explained that the program combines classroom hours with fieldwork authorized by the state nursing board to certify students with a community health worker certification they can use in home health and as outreach employees of hospitals.

“Community health work has been a more common field outside of the U.S., but it’s still fairly new here,” she explained. “But it’s a peer model based on the idea that people respond better to medical advice and preventative care when they’re met by someone who speaks their cultural language and is from their community.”

Shaw said the one-year program requires both 100 classroom hours and 130 practical hours where students are exposed not only to the medical anatomy training required to speak the language of nurses and doctors, but also the communications application and cultural training to be effective in Appalachia.

“This is really similar to case management and social work, too,” she said. “Yes, they’re getting certified in first aid, checking vitals, CPR and birth to seniors’ development training but it’s a neat hybrid of interprofessional background.”

She said community health workers are often a good go-between for underserved and more rural communities.

“It minimizes the power dynamics you see, especially in Appalachia, between residents and medical staff,” she said. “I think it can grow and we can look more into serving the needs around infant mortality and individuals with substance abuse disorders, too.”

But for now, with the first class at Marietta High School nearing completion, students of Depue’s are already seeing the application of the course into the fields they plan to work within after graduation.

“I want to be a teacher,” explained Logan Pollard, 18, of Marietta. “But I think this will be useful in the classroom too, not only helping my peers live healthier lives but also being able to talk with my students whether they’re concerned about their weight, are battling anxiety or even are concerned about health problems in their families.”

Sydney Durham, 17, of Marietta, said she has seen cross-application with the EMT certification course she’s also taking at the high school.

“But this class I think has added that communication skills aspect,” she said. “Those conversation tools to get the patient to open up and really discuss their health choices and options is something I’ve taken away from the class.”

Both Pollard and Durham plan to apply for their certification after completing the course, and Durham said she may use it as a means for employment while taking college online courses after high school.

At a glance:

• Marietta High School has partnered with Ohio University to offer a Community Health Worker certification program for seniors.

• The first class at the high school has 10 students who will be eligible to apply to the Ohio Board of Nursing for certification after completion of the course.

• The class also plans to hold a “What the Health?” day in May for the high school.

• Training for the course was provided through an endowment from Ohio University.

Source: Ohio University and Marietta High School.