MedStar Health Unveils Rx for Success Program at Vivien T. Thomas Medical Arts Academy

COLUMBIA, Md., Feb. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- MedStar Health officials, in partnership with the Baltimore City Public School System (BCPSS), is pleased to unveil the Rx for Success program at the Vivien T. Thomas Medical Arts Academy. Part of a five-year commitment between MedStar Health and BCPSS, Rx for Success is the most comprehensive allied health program in the region aligning an intricate network of corporate and civic partners to benefit public education. For the 2007-2008 academic school year, 220 students from the Vivien T. Thomas Medical Arts Academy are enrolled in the program. Rx for Success is designed to prepare students for collegiate studies and careers in health and science. For the first time, MedStar Health and BCPSS are showcasing the merits of the Rx for Success program, its initial success and potential for implementation in other city schools.

"Health care is an exciting industry to be in. We need to expose young students, our future workforce, to all the possibilities," says Kenneth A. Samet, president and chief executive officer of MedStar Health. "As the shortage of Maryland healthcare workers continues to grow, we feel compelled to act by bringing both corporate and community organizations together to reverse this alarming trend."

An active community partner, MedStar Health has fostered a number of academic enrichment programs in the region. In its most ambitious program to date, MedStar Health created an academic oasis for young Baltimore City students at the Vivien T. Thomas Medical Arts Academy, the inaugural school to participate in Rx for Success. Created to present channels of access and opportunity for young people in low-income, scholastically-challenged Baltimore neighborhoods, Rx for Success has been a source of inspiration and a benchmark for success among students at Vivien T. Thomas Medical Arts Academy. Additionally, officials involved with the program are hopeful that its long-term benefits will address the critical shortage of qualified healthcare workers in the region by creating a pipeline of talented, skilled individuals.

"Our partnership with the Baltimore City Public School System aligns with our commitment to helping the community," says Steven S. Cohen, senior vice president of integrated operations for MedStar Health and initiator of the Rx for Success program. "This program will help to develop our future workforce by exposing students to careers in allied health fields with the potential for future employment at either one of our hospitals or another hospital in the area."

The Rx for Success program marries the conventional curriculum as designated by the Maryland State Department of Education with specialized coursework geared to the healthcare profession. Students receive medical arts-oriented instruction, with hands-on applied and theory-based classroom training, that is supported by one-on-one interaction with healthcare professionals and medical practitioners. Coursework for students cover a variety of healthcare disciplines that are segmented into four distinct medical arenas called "pathways." The four pathways include:

-- Allied Health

-- Biotechnology

-- Pharmacy Technician

-- Surgical Operating Room Technician

The program also features a fully-operational, state-of-the-art lab equipped with course-appropriate stations that include professional-grade medical equipment and supplies. The lab is also outfitted with SiTel's eLearning platform to create highly innovative, medical simulations. SiTel is also used in each MedStar Health hospital and by all employees, throughout the organization, to train medical students, physicians, nurses, administrators and other healthcare providers in a variety of critical care scenarios and complex medical procedures. SiTel's eLearning platform is just one example of how MedStar Health has created a real-world environment for Rx for Success students, providing MedStar Health lab coats, that serve as school uniforms, is yet another.