‘Hands on Health’ exhibit in Libby March 1-2
Interactive exhibit
by St. John’s Lutheran Hospital
February 21, 2011
The University of Montana’s spectrUM Discovery Area’s popular "Hands on Health" exhibition is coming to Libby in March. Students will participate in guided field trips of the exhibition in the Asa Wood gymnasium on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 1 – 2, and the exhibition will be free and open for the public to explore from 5 – 7 on Tuesday evening.
"Hands on Health" features interactive science exhibits and activities exploring health professions and sciences. SpectrUM’s visit to Libby is sponsored by the Libby Elementary Parent Council, St. John’s Lutheran Hospital, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Montana, the Western Montana Area Health Education Center, and PPL Montana.
According to Tasha Johnson, Parent Council President, the push to bring the exhibit to Libby was many faceted. "We have worked with SpectrUM before to bring a Science Exhibit to Libby, and it was really well received," stated Johnson. "When the opportunity to bring ‘Hands on Health’ presented itself, we just couldn’t pass it up. Interactive learning is so effective, and the children seem to retain what they have learned because they get to be a part of the process. In addition, so many of our youth will never have the opportunity to see an exhibit of this caliber, and the council felt that exposure to health and wellness activities and careers would give our children an extra advantage for the future."
"St. John’s heard about ‘Hands on Health’ and our Wellness Committee had discussed looking into bringing it to Libby for a future date," commented Susan Horelick, RN and Wellness Manager at St. John’s. "When we started exploring that possibility in January, we found out that Libby Elementary was also looking at the event, so it was a great opportunity for us to partner with them to bring this wonderful resource to our community."
"Hands on Health" is designed to foster in young students an interest in, awareness of, and excitement about a future career in the health professions. Visitors to this exhibit will interact with five hands-on exhibit areas, each highlighting the science behind the work of a different type of healthcare provider. Visitors will have a chance to measure heart rate and blood oxygen level before and after getting their blood pumping with good old fashioned exercise. They will participate in a simulated surgery, swab a giant nose, and create and view their own microscope slide. They will diagnose the broken bones of a professional snowboarder, take part in guided dissections, and more…all while they laugh, learn, and explore careers in healthcare.
Horelick and the Wellness Committee at St. John’s are excited about what an exhibit like this could mean for the future of jobs in health care. "The Wellness Committee looks at ‘Hands on Health’ as a great way to not only get kids excited about the science and the mysteries of the human body, but to also plant the seed about the wide variety of heath care career options that are possible. We are hoping we might capture the interest of some students enough that they will choose to continue their education after high school into a healthcare field," stated Horelick.
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