The event is designed to give high school students first-hand understanding of college life and medical careers. MinnPost quotes Augsburg College President Paul Pribbenow as saying,  “We want to give them a glimpse of what these careers look like, and something of a college experience that makes the possibility seem more real to them.”

In particular, Augsburg and its partners at the University of Minnesota Medical Center – Fairview focus on the many Somali students who live nearby with help from community organizations such as the the African Development Center and the West Bank Community Coalition.

Read “” on the MinnPost website.

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“A few years ago, Augsburg joined neighboring institutions to explore how to leverage our gifts and resources to improve the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood,” said Paul C. Pribbenow, president of Augsburg College.

“One outcome was the formation of the Cedar-Riverside Partnership, which provides a forum for institutions and organizations invested in the neighborhood to work together on issues of shared interest. The idea for Urban Scrubs Camp emerged from our common interest in workforce development and in providing positive opportunities for neighborhood youth.”

Augsburg’s commitment to the Cedar-Riverside Partnership is reflected in the College’s role as an anchor institution—as an organization closely tied to place, with strong interest in improving the health and vitality of the community in which it is located. The work also is tied to the College’s role as a Lutheran organization with a calling to serve its neighbors.

“As an anchor institution called to help shape the future of our neighborhood, we have the responsibility to creatively use institutional resources to further the mission of the College while also creating shared value in our community,” said Steve Peacock, director of Augsburg community relations.

“The College creates this shared value by providing the camp with access to Augsburg’s facilities, faculty, staff and students. The end result is a positive, campus-based experience for talented high school youths, some of whom are from the neighborhood and sponsored by local organizations and businesses, and whom we hope will consider Augsburg as they think about College.”

Augsburg faculty and staff deliver some programming for the camp, and some Auggie students serve as counselors. Last year, students learned from faculty about the work of physician assistants, anatomy and physiology, water quality testing, and addiction counseling.

Urban Scrubs Camp, which runs from July 9-13 this year, annually provides 70 campers with a five-day, hands-on opportunity to focus on a variety of healthcare career options. The camp also helps address workforce development needs for local hospitals, and strengthens relationships with community partners.

The camp is possible through the work of Augsburg and the Cedar-Riverside Partnership, and by efforts of HealthForce Minnesota, Fairview Health Services, the Minnesota Urban Health Education and the University of Minnesota. The Camp during 2011 enjoyed lead financial sponsorship from Boston Scientific.

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Augsburg was one of the founding members of the Cedar-Riverside Partnership, a group made of the institutions in the neighborhood that are attempting to leverage their resources to make improvements to the area.

In taking a long-term look at the neighborhood, one of the biggest challenges is to determine how the youth of Cedar-Riverside can they be put in position to make a positive impact and have personal success as they become adults. Combine that with Fairview’s predicted need for more healthcare professionals moving forward, and the idea of hosting a Scrubs Camp with HealthForce Minnesota became reality.

On Sunday, more than 70 high school students—the overwhelming majority from Minneapolis and St. Paul public schools and many from within blocks of Augsburg—moved onto campus for the week.

Over the next several days, the students will learn about possible careers in the healthcare field, experience college for a few days, and hopefully become excited about their futures. The model is based on the Scrubs Camp held each summer at Winona State University.

The programming for the camp is varied. There are sessions on preparing for college and presentations on various health career options. Students will spend a morning touring the U of M, there is a day at Snelling State Park, and MnSCU’s mobile simulation lab will be on campus on Tuesday.

Many from the Augsburg community will play a role in the programming for the camp as students will learn about recovering and addiction counseling from Patrice Salmeri, being a physician assistant from faculty member Brenda Talarico, about nutrition from Brian Noy, and about water quality testing from chemistry faculty member Joan Kunz. A number of Augsburg students will also be involved with the camp.

The students will stay and eat at Augsburg though the end of the day on Thursday. The camp is also sponsored by HealthForce Minnesota, Fairview Health Systems, and the University of Minnesota.

Read the StarTribune article.

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