Healthy Communities Institute (HCI)

Programs

The Lewis-San Antonio Healthy Communities Institute (HCI)

About

The Lewis-San Antonio Healthy Communities Institute (HCI) was established in April 2016 by Randall Lewis (a local community visionary, innovator and philanthropist) in collaboration with San Antonio Regional Hospital to positively impact the health of the Inland Empire region. HCI aims to form solutions in response to the high numbers of chronic diseases and low numbers of healthcare professionals in the region. The institute is designed to serve as a vehicle to help create innovative solutions and to support the efforts of local cities and healthcare entities by providing structure, programs, and specific training.

The institute goals will address specific areas of health concerns based on the Community Health Needs Assessment.

Goals for the Population Health Initiatives and the Lewis-San Antonio Healthy Communities Institute.

Wellness Starts with You!: A Randall Lewis Initiative

The premier program at the Lewis-San Antonio Healthy Communities Institute is called the “Wellness Starts with You! A Randall Lewis Initiative – Empowering Future Leaders to Make Healthy Choices”. This program is a response to the shortage of healthcare professionals growing in the surrounding communities and is a collaborative effort among schools and community partners to decrease chronic diseases and cultivate the future healthcare workforce in the Inland Empire. Our mission is to provide wellness education and healthcare workforce together through professional development training to the next generation of healthcare professionals.

Our program goals:

Increase knowledge and motivation of healthy behaviors to decrease the risk of chronic lifestyle diseases among the Inland Empire adolescent population.
Increase knowledge of careers in the healthcare workforce among high school students in the Inland Empire.
Increase professional development readiness through skills necessary for the healthcare workforce among high school students in the Inland Empire.

Health Educators at HCI teaches at the local school districts on the 4 wellness pillars of health: Nutrition, Movement, Mental Resilience and Sleep. This program takes place once a week during the school year.

Nutrition

How to read nutrition labels
Importance of water consumption
Benefit of five food groups, macronutrients, and correct serving sizes

Movement

Importance of movement and physical activity for the mind and body
Different exercises and how to incorporate them into weekly routines

Mental Resilience

Importance of taking care of one’s mind and body
Healthy coping mechanisms for stress

Sleep

The effects of sleep on well-being
How to practice sleep hygiene

Young Healthcare Professionals [YHP]

The YHP program focuses on promoting allied healthcare careers as well as promoting life skills to high school students to foster a new resilient generation of the healthcare workforce in San Bernardino County. The Young Healthcare Professionals program
provides students with an opportunity to gain real-world experience in allied healthcare careers; and the wellness/life skills needed to maintain a positive mind and body as they move into the professional world.

In this program, students will:

Increase their knowledge and awareness of allied healthcare career pathways.
Increase their knowledge of career readiness skills, such as resumes and interviews.
Gain new skills and certifications, such as the Food Handlers Safety card and BLS/CPR/AED.
Increase their knowledge of basic life skills, such as cooking, food safety, and money management.
Increase their knowledge of mental resilience and strategies for maintaining overall wellness.
Practice strategies for building mental resilience and maintaining wellness through the use of evidence-based techniques.

Positive Minds, Healthy Actions

The Lewis-San Antonio Healthy Communities Institute and select school districts are collaborating to provide students enrolled in the Peer Counseling class supplemental information on topics related to social emotional learning. Students in the Positive
Minds, Healthy Actions: Social Emotional Training program will receive additional knowledge and skills necessary to enhance their capabilities as peer counselors.

The goal of the Positive Minds, Healthy Actions: Social Emotional Training program is to promote awareness and increase knowledge on topics related to social emotional learning and to provide students with knowledge and skills to improve their roles as
peer counselors.

Objectives:

Increase knowledge of Social-Emotional Learning topics
Increase awareness related to social and emotional health
Decrease social isolation amongst students on campus

Clinical Shadowing Program

The Clinical Shadowing Program is an 8-week program designed for students interested in getting hands-on experience in the clinical/hospital setting. High school juniors and seniors can apply to be a part of this program. Students can expect to potentially
shadow surgeons, laboratory specialists and other healthcare professionals to learn more about the careers within the hospital. Students will also take part in leadership seminars and other skill building trainings to prepare them for the healthcare
workforce. This program occurs during the summer.

Non-Clinical Internship Program

HCI oversees San Antonio’s non-clinical internship program in bringing students from various health disciplines on-site and in the community for practicum experiences. Interns are comprised of undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral level students
pursuing degrees in public health, social work, healthcare administration, nutrition, business administration, and more. Students are matched with projects that meet their practicum requirements as well as support a community need. Additionally, students
are connected to various health professionals in and out of the hospital, exposed to the need for health professionals in the local area, and are encouraged to remain in the region while fulfilling their professional aspirations. Student interns have
opportunities to participate in program development, evaluation, health education, marketing, social media, and business development.

Currently, HCI has Memorandums of Understanding with universities from across the region, including:

Azusa Pacific University – MPH
California Baptist University – MPH
California State Polytechnic University, Fullerton – Nursing
California State University, San Bernardino – Undergrad and graduate students in
Health Care Management and Public Health
Claremont Graduate University – MPH, MPH/MBA, Bio Stats/Epi, MD, DrPH
Keck Graduate Institute
Loma Linda University – MPH, MHA, DrPH, Bio Stats/Epi
Pitzer College – Social Impact/Community Engagement
USC – Social Work

Professional staff is available to act as preceptors and have backgrounds in public health, health administration, human services, and business development. Current opportunities are advertised on Handshake as well with our partner university
intern coordinators. Resumes are accepted on a rolling basis at LewisHCI@sarh.org.