Growing the public health work force in san bernardino county high schools

Issues: The relationship of education to poverty, health, and other social concerns has been globally established. San Bernardino County (SBC), California, has joined state and federal efforts to address these issues with its Healthy Communities initiative. This region of 4.2 million is the second-most financially compromised area in the nation. Forty-eight percent of families live on or below the poverty level. Twenty-five percent of the population is under 18. Only 18.6 percent have earned a bachelors degree or higher; high school graduation rates are significantly lower than those in the rest of the state. Consequently, a pipeline program was started in 2012. Objective: Create a high school pipeline program in eight cities to engage, train and expose students to the public health field. Students will learn to identify a need and develop a project that will impact the health of their peers at their respective schools. Description: The Junior Public Health Internship was developed through local collaboration of municipal, university, business and non-profit organizations within the County. We invited school administrators to nominate students with academic competence and leadership abilities. After selection, mentors, students, parents and administrators met. Then, students learned to identify needs and develop health and social programs such as diabetes education, childhood obesity, healthy eating habits and bullying. Lessons Learned: Engagement in school and community health events has lead to increasing collaboration and learning from each other. Mentorship is essential to such engagement. Recommendations: •Continued mentorship of interns •Continuity of projects •Recruitment of new students