LONE TREE — SkyRidge Medical Center has announced its partner of the year as the Douglas County School District, though their partnership goes back many years.
SkyRidge president and CEO Maureen Tarrant said the announcement is more of an acknowledgment of the growing partnership it’s had with the school district. SkyRidge, the first hospital in Douglas County, and the district have benefitted from this partnership mainly in the hundreds of high school student volunteers who fulfill community service hours at the hospital and even get on the fast track to a career in health care.
“I think when you have residents of Douglas County who are patients, they like seeing young people. It’s a touching and warm moment to see these bright, young faces who are eager to help,” Tarrant said.
In addition to the about 500 young people to come through as volunteers, this year the hospital has started a school supplies drive called Fill The Gap. The two organizations also created a mobile phone app that provides information on when schools close, when they get out early and lunch menus as well as emergency room waitlists and information on sports injuries. Watson said the hospital has also worked closely with the district on education about sports injuries, especially about treating and preventing concussions.
The hospital is also involved with the district’s twice-a-year program called Career Connect in which some of its 1,000 employees showcase different career paths in the health-care industry, which Tarrant said is important because one in five new jobs in the United States is in health care. The hospital also takes part in the district’s eighth-grade career expo.
Cinamon Watson, community relations officer for DCSD, said through the hospital last year the district was able to get out important health information such as how to treat rattlesnake bites, which there were more of last year.
“Contributing to healthy schools is something possible for everyone whether you work at SkyRidge or live in the community,” Watson said.
