'This is the Future' Head Start on Good Health - Cedars-Sinai

<strong>Head</strong> <strong>Start</strong> on
Good Health
FOCUSING ON
PRESCHOOLERS
AND PARENTS
About 30 parents and children fill
several rows of kid-size chairs in
a preschool classroom at <strong>the</strong> 6th
Avenue Early Childhood Education
Center in <strong>the</strong> Mid-City area of Los
Angeles. At <strong>the</strong> front of <strong>the</strong> room
<strong>is</strong> a d<strong>is</strong>play of colorful posters with
information in Span<strong>is</strong>h and Engl<strong>is</strong>h
about nutritional differences
between milk, fruit drinks, sports
drinks, and soda.
Cedars-Sinai Health Educator
Angelica Torres refers to <strong>the</strong>
d<strong>is</strong>play as she gives a half-hour
talk. It <strong>is</strong> 4 p.m. and <strong>the</strong> pre-
schoolers are playing in <strong>the</strong> next
room as <strong>the</strong>ir parents and older
siblings learn about healthy
beverages.
Steering Away from Soda
At one point, Torres holds up a
box of sugar and an empty cup
and asks, “How much sugar do
continued page 4
Surgeons for a Day . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Teaming Up with Telemundo . . . . . 3
News in Brief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
<strong>Head</strong> <strong>Start</strong> on Good Health . . . . . . 4
‘Th<strong>is</strong> <strong>is</strong> <strong>the</strong> Future’
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS VISIT CEDARS-SINAI TO EXPLORE
WIDE RANGE OF NURSING CAREER PATHS
Students are delighted to get a dose
of reality as <strong>the</strong>y put on scrubs
during a Cedars-Sinai tour.
S U M M E R 2 0 1 0
Tania Ramos was wide-eyed as she walked <strong>the</strong> corridors of
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center during a behind-<strong>the</strong>-scenes tour
that was part of a recent Nursing Career Luncheon for high
school students.
She was one of about eight students in <strong>the</strong> group. M. Carmen
Adams, RN, of <strong>the</strong> OR/Anes<strong>the</strong>sia Department had <strong>the</strong>ir full
attention as she led <strong>the</strong>m through two surgical units. At one
point, Adams asked <strong>the</strong> students to put on green scrubs over
<strong>the</strong>ir clo<strong>the</strong>s, as well as masks, so <strong>the</strong>y could go into an
operating room that was not being used. They were thrilled to enter a world <strong>the</strong>y’d seen only on TV.
An ‘Awesome’ Experience
Daniel Bachar, RN, a clinical nurse in orthopaedic surgery, walked in just after <strong>the</strong> students and
was startled to find a group of teen-agers in <strong>the</strong> OR. He immediately shifted to teaching mode,
answering questions about imaging and surgical equipment and telling <strong>the</strong> students: “Th<strong>is</strong> <strong>is</strong> a cool
place to work. You learn something new every day.”
When it was time to move on, <strong>the</strong> students carefully folded <strong>the</strong>ir scrubs and kept <strong>the</strong>m as souvenirs.
“That was awesome,” said Ramos, who just graduated from nearby Hamilton High School. Ramos feels
a special connection
to Cedars-Sinai. She
was born at th<strong>is</strong> hospital
and has long wanted to
follow in <strong>the</strong> footsteps
of an aunt who <strong>is</strong> a
nurse at Cedars-Sinai.
The whole experience,
which included a series
of talks by nurses in
<strong>the</strong> Harvey Morse
Auditorium followed by
lunch and <strong>the</strong> hospital
tour, left Ramos feeling
High school students v<strong>is</strong>it at an operating room at Cedars-Sinai. Their
hospital tour was part of an event introducing <strong>the</strong>m to career opportunities in
<strong>the</strong> nursing field. continued page 2

Embracing Our Community Page 2
‘Th<strong>is</strong> <strong>is</strong> <strong>the</strong> Future’
continued from page 1
an even stronger desire to become a
nurse. As she said: “I love helping people.
And <strong>the</strong>re <strong>is</strong> more to th<strong>is</strong> job than I
thought.”
An Inside View of Nursing
About 125 students from six high schools
attended <strong>the</strong> nursing career luncheon.
Many were surpr<strong>is</strong>ed to learn that nurses
work not only in a wide variety of patient
care settings, but also in management and
educational roles.
“Th<strong>is</strong> annual luncheon gives high school
students a rare opportunity to get an
inside view of what nurses do,” said
Andrea Perry, Cedars-Sinai’s Health
Careers Academy program manager. “As
our speakers share <strong>the</strong> struggles <strong>the</strong>y’ve
Audubon Middle School student Bijon
Lew<strong>is</strong> receives pointers about surgical
instruments from Image Guided
Surgery Coordinator Fred Smith at
Brainworks event.
It takes a leap of imagination
for boys and girls in <strong>the</strong>ir
early teens to see <strong>the</strong>mselves
performing brain surgery.
But <strong>the</strong> d<strong>is</strong>tance between
fantasy and reality shrinks for
<strong>the</strong> young people who v<strong>is</strong>it
Cedars-Sinai to experience
“a day in <strong>the</strong> life” of a neuro-
surgeon during an event
called Brainworks.
Created by Cedars-Sinai
neurosurgeon Keith Black, MD,
in 1998, <strong>the</strong> annual event gives
underrepresented 7th and 8th
graders from Los Angeles area schools a first-hand look at what it’s
like to be a neurosurgeon or a neuroscience researcher.
“Our goal <strong>is</strong> to fire a passion for science and medicine by giving
students a chance to talk with surgeons, clinical scient<strong>is</strong>ts, nurses
and physical <strong>the</strong>rap<strong>is</strong>ts, and d<strong>is</strong>cover <strong>the</strong> excitement that comes
faced and talk about how <strong>the</strong>ir careers
evolved, <strong>the</strong> students also see that <strong>the</strong>re
<strong>is</strong> no single, straight career path, and that
gives <strong>the</strong>m hope.”
Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer
Linda Burnes Bolton, DrPh, RN, FAAN, told
<strong>the</strong> students that <strong>the</strong>y are needed in <strong>the</strong>
nursing field because <strong>the</strong>re are now about
40,000 more jobs than nurses nationwide,
and <strong>the</strong> shortage <strong>is</strong> expected to signifi-
cantly worsen over <strong>the</strong> next five years.
O<strong>the</strong>r speakers shared personal stories
about <strong>the</strong>ir career paths.
Finding Inspiration
Paulette Anest, RN, a nurse manager in
labor and delivery, talked about how she
was inspired by <strong>the</strong> compassion of a nurse
Surgeons for a Day
from helping patients and solving medical problems through
research,” said Black, who <strong>is</strong> chair of <strong>the</strong> Cedars-Sinai Department of
Neurosurgery and director of <strong>the</strong> Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical
Institute, which sponsor <strong>the</strong> day-long event.
A Hands-on Experience
Brainworks features interactive stations where students perform
virtual surgery using 3-D imaging and a phantom skull, manipulate
actual surgical instruments, examine microscope slides of various
types of tumors, perform laser and DNA experiments, have <strong>the</strong>ir vital
signs checked, and learn how it feels to use a walker and o<strong>the</strong>r
rehabilitation equipment.
Through th<strong>is</strong> hands-on experience and interaction with healthcare pro-
fessionals, Black hopes to cultivate <strong>the</strong> early curiosity and interest in
medicine that he experienced with <strong>the</strong> encouragement of parents who
were educators. He was just 17 when he publ<strong>is</strong>hed h<strong>is</strong> first research
paper and went on to author hundreds of scientific articles, including
findings from pioneering research on how to open <strong>the</strong> blood-brain
barrier and enable chemo<strong>the</strong>rapy drugs to be delivered directly to
brain tumors.
who cared for her uncle during h<strong>is</strong> battle
with liver cancer. “There <strong>is</strong> nothing about
th<strong>is</strong> profession that’s easy, and it’s not
supposed to be because we’re dealing with
human lives. It’s complex and challenging,
emotionally and physically, and I can’t
imagine doing anything else,” she said.
After <strong>the</strong> talks and <strong>the</strong> lunch, <strong>the</strong> students
broke into about 10 small groups for <strong>the</strong>
hospital tours. They were greeted warmly
by those on duty in various medical units.
At one point, a surgeon met Tania Ramos’s
group in a narrow corridor. As <strong>the</strong> students
made a path for him, <strong>the</strong> charge nurse
introduced <strong>the</strong>m to <strong>the</strong> doctor. She said,
“Th<strong>is</strong> <strong>is</strong> <strong>the</strong> future.”
BRAINWORKS EVENT CULTIVATES INTEREST IN MEDICINE

Teaming Up with Telemundo
HEALTH FAIR ADDRESSES NEEDS OF UNDERSERVED
HISPANIC COMMUNITY
Children brush up on <strong>the</strong>ir dental hygiene skills.
Cedars-Sinai provided <strong>the</strong>se props to help educate
kids at a health fair organized by Telemundo 52.
Nurse practitioner Sylvia Estrada, RN, <strong>is</strong> one
of many Cedars-Sinai employees who speak
Span<strong>is</strong>h, understand <strong>the</strong> health problems facing
<strong>the</strong> underserved, uninsured H<strong>is</strong>panic population
of Los Angeles, and welcome every opportunity
to help.
These employees are a crucial part of
Cedars-Sinai’s community health programs,
which deliver vital information and services
to <strong>the</strong> city’s most vulnerable populations. One
opportunity to reach those in <strong>the</strong> H<strong>is</strong>panic
community with limited access to health
services was a recent day-long health fair
organized by Telemundo 52, a Span<strong>is</strong>h-
language telev<strong>is</strong>ion station.
The annual event drew 20,000 people to <strong>the</strong>
Los Angeles Convention Center, and Patricia
Buchanan of Telemundo estimated that about
half of those who attended were uninsured.
Health Education and Screening
Cedars-Sinai’s team of 120 people provided
free services for more than 3,000 people at
<strong>the</strong> fair. Adults received blood pressure and
diabetes education and screening, nutrition
counseling, and H1N1 immunizations.
Cedars-Sinai also brought its two COACH for
Kids and Their Families ® medical vans, which
regularly v<strong>is</strong>it community sites in underserved
areas of Los Angeles. In addition to providing
H1N1 vaccines for children and adults, <strong>the</strong>
COACH staff offered a variety of health
education activities for children, including
nutrition and dental education.
Identifying Problems Early
Estrada, a board member of <strong>the</strong> Los Angeles
chapter of <strong>the</strong> National Association of H<strong>is</strong>panic
Nurses, recruited eight nurses from <strong>the</strong>
association to join o<strong>the</strong>rs on Cedars-Sinai’s
team who are bilingual, ensuring that <strong>the</strong>
many event participants who did not speak
Engl<strong>is</strong>h would be able to communicate <strong>the</strong>ir
health concerns.
“We see a lot of hypertension and uncon-
trolled diabetes in <strong>the</strong> large underserved and
uninsured H<strong>is</strong>panic population of Los Angeles,”
Estrada said.
At <strong>the</strong> Telemundo health fair and many
o<strong>the</strong>r similar events throughout <strong>the</strong> year,
Cedars-Sinai’s team teaches people how
to take better care of <strong>the</strong>ir health. “Our
screenings identify problems before <strong>the</strong>y get
out of control, and we make referrals to help
people get <strong>the</strong> follow-up care <strong>the</strong>y need,”
Estrada said.
Blood pressure
screening
was one of
a number
of services
provided by
Cedars-Sinai’s
team at <strong>the</strong>
Telemundo
health fair.
NEWS IN BRIEF
<strong>Start</strong>ing Young
Cedars-Sinai has expanded its Healthy
Habits for Kids program from four to
eight elementary schools and, in addition
to offering 10-week workshops in
second-grade classrooms throughout <strong>the</strong>
school year, provides health education
classes for children in third and fourth
grades. The program, offered primarily in
low-income neighborhoods in Mid-City
Los Angeles, seeks to get children started
on a lifetime of healthy habits by teaching
<strong>the</strong>m to eat well and exerc<strong>is</strong>e regularly
from an early age.
Yoga in <strong>the</strong> Park
They did it for fitness—and for fun.
About 35 mo<strong>the</strong>rs recently brought <strong>the</strong>ir
children to Benny H. Potter West Adams
Avenues Memorial Park in Mid-City to
enjoy a yoga workout and a nutritious
potluck picnic. Many of <strong>the</strong> moms walked
to <strong>the</strong> park from four nearby elementary
schools that participate in Cedars-Sinai’s
Healthy Habits for Families program,
which helps parents take steps to
improve <strong>the</strong>ir health and become positive
role models for <strong>the</strong>ir kids.
Kids Mentor Kids
Middle-school students will mentor
elementary school kids through a new
program Cedars-Sinai <strong>is</strong> developing to
help fight childhood obesity. The General
Mills Foundation has awarded Cedars-Sinai
a $10,000 Champions grant for a pilot
Healthy Habits Youth Mentoring Program.
Studies have shown that peer mentors
can be <strong>the</strong> single most important influence
in long-lasting behavior changes. The
Medical Center was one of 50 national
recipients whose grant proposals stood out
as <strong>the</strong> most innovative among more than
1,100 subm<strong>is</strong>sions.

For Taye Torio (left), Center Strutters <strong>is</strong> about
friendship as well as fitness. Torio, Irene
Wong (center) and Shiz Takagaki like to walk
and talk.
<strong>Head</strong> <strong>Start</strong> on Health
continued from page 1
you think <strong>the</strong>re <strong>is</strong> in a 12-ounce
can of cola?”
She asks for volunteers, and Alicia Cobbs
and her daughter, Selena, step up to help.
The entire group counts as Selena scoops 16
teaspoons of sugar into <strong>the</strong> glass cup. Torres
pauses to let <strong>the</strong> impact of th<strong>is</strong> sink in. “Th<strong>is</strong>
<strong>is</strong> why it’s better to drink water or milk,” she
tells <strong>the</strong> group, stressing that soda causes
cavities and contributes to obesity.
The educational d<strong>is</strong>plays—and <strong>the</strong> talk—are
part of a pilot program launched in January
Contact Information
For more information about
th<strong>is</strong> newsletter, please contact
Cindy Levey, MPH, (323) 866-2997,
or cindy.levey@cshs.org.
Step by Step
FOR FITNESS AND FRIENDS,
CENTER STRUTTERS WALK
25,000 MILES A YEAR
At 88, Taye Torio <strong>is</strong> nearly always a few steps
ahead of her peers.
A member of Cedars-Sinai’s Center Strutters
walk for fitness program for <strong>the</strong> past 19
years, she <strong>is</strong> enjoying <strong>the</strong> benefits of a
longtime habit of regular exerc<strong>is</strong>e.
She not only drives herself to <strong>the</strong> Beverly
Center to walk laps around <strong>the</strong> mall three
times a week with Center Strutters, but also
works in her garden, does her own cooking
and housework, and takes an art class. She
wakes up feeling good nearly every day, and
her blood pressure <strong>is</strong> normal.
“I’m pretty healthy and energetic. I can do
just about everything, and I’m very thankful
for that,” Torio said.
by Cedars-Sinai’s Community Health
Initiatives team. The program reaches about
700 families through six <strong>Head</strong> <strong>Start</strong> schools
in low-income neighborhoods of Mid-City.
Six different health d<strong>is</strong>plays are posted at <strong>the</strong>
entrances of <strong>the</strong> schools on a rotating bas<strong>is</strong>.
Topics include healthy snacking, why exerc<strong>is</strong>e
<strong>is</strong> good for <strong>the</strong> body and <strong>the</strong> brain, and how
to determine portion sizes.
“Parents are taking <strong>the</strong> time to read <strong>the</strong>
information when <strong>the</strong>y drop off and pick up
<strong>the</strong>ir kids, and <strong>the</strong> children are drawn to <strong>the</strong>
pictures,” said Jeannie Nguyen, MPH, who
works in Community Health at Cedars-Sinai.
“Th<strong>is</strong> <strong>is</strong> one of a number of ways we’re
Caring for Our Community
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center demonstrates its
commitment to improving community health
through a wide range of Community Benefit
programs that serve vulnerable populations. For
example, <strong>the</strong> Medical Center provides free or
low-cost care for <strong>the</strong> needy and, in partnership
There’s no doubt in her mind that Center
Strutters has a lot to do with <strong>the</strong> spring
in her step. The program involves about
300 people over <strong>the</strong> course of a year, with
a core group of about 50 people, ages
60 to 90. They walk around <strong>the</strong> shopping
mall between 8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. every
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Beverly Center has been partnering with
Cedars-Sinai to offer th<strong>is</strong> fitness program for
20 years. Logan Williams, associate director
of Community Health and Education, said
<strong>the</strong> group, which includes many longtime
members, puts in a total of nearly 25,000
miles a year.
It’s not just <strong>the</strong> health benefits that motivate
Torio and o<strong>the</strong>rs to maintain <strong>the</strong>ir walking
regimen. She explained: “I’ve made very
good friends in th<strong>is</strong> group. We look forward
to getting toge<strong>the</strong>r for coffee after we walk.”
Angelina Dias and her sons, Oswaldo (front) and
Sergio, study Cedars-Sinai’s healthy beverages
d<strong>is</strong>play at 6th Avenue Early Education Center.
working in <strong>the</strong> community to develop healthy
habits early.”
with many community organizations, offers
hundreds of health education programs and clinics
where screening can lead to early diagnos<strong>is</strong> and
referrals. Community Benefit efforts also include
graduate medical education and training programs
for health professionals and research that results
in major medical advances.