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Are you interested in a career in the medical field, or know a student who is? Healthy Archuleta has partnered with Drexel University College of Medicine to offer Archuleta County youth a chance to learn more about healthcare careers.
The first session is Tuesday, June 17th, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Department of Human Services conference room. Dara Bright, PhD, will talk about healthcare careers. Dr. Bright will discuss the different types of healthcare careers, such as traditional and nontraditional careers, and what classes to focus on now to get into healthcare. Meet The Speaker: Dara Bright, PhD, is an educator with over eight years of experience providing learning and career advisement to students. Bright's formal training and expertise are centered around equity and community-informed measurement practices. Dr. Bright's scholarship delves into the crossroads of the opportunity gap in higher education and the unique challenges confronting marginalized students. Recently awarded a CADRE Fellowship, her research critically addresses the inequitable and oppressive systems that obstruct opportunities for students of color. She earned her Doctorate in Education with a focus on quantitative methods, assessment, and evaluation. She also holds a Master's of Science in Public Policy (MSPP) from Georgia Tech and a Bachelor’s from the College of William & Mary. The second session is Thursday, June 19th, from 2:30 pm to 4 pm, where three Drexel medical students will share their experience about med school. Specifically, each student will share their specific path to medicine and the obstacles they overcame to get into medicine. As third and fourth-year medical students, they’ll share what it’s like to be a medical student and what they do each day. Meet The Speakers: Tomas Fencl is a fourth-year student applying to general surgery. He’s here to tell you - you don't need to have everything figured out right now - he didn't figure this path out until he was almost 30. He misses Colorado and hopes to make it back whenever his training allows it. Ashley Dillon is a third-year medical student at Drexel University College of Medicine. Currently, she is not sure what specialty of medicine she is interested in, but is excited to hopefully find her niche this year during her clinical rotations. She is originally from a small town in rural Wyoming and can understand the difficulties surrounding rural medicine, but also how daunting it can be to pursue a career or education that can take you out of your community. She is so excited to talk to the youth more and share her journey as well as answer any questions that they may have on pursuing college, medicine, or anything in between. Jahan Aslami grew up in Loveland, Colorado, attended the University of Colorado Boulder, and earned his Master's Degree at Colorado State. He left Colorado for medical school when he was accepted at Drexel University College of Medicine. He is currently starting his fourth year of medical school after finishing up a research year with the Orthopedic Surgery Program at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh. He got involved with this program to strengthen his application for an orthopedic residency, hopefully back home at the University of Colorado. Please join us at the Department of Human Services conference room for both events. No registration required! Primary care is the backbone of community health. It’s all about prevention, wellness check-ups, and treating common illnesses. Your regular doctor, nurse, or other healthcare provider is your primary care buddy. They’re the ones who catch health issues we might miss, notice subtle changes, and ask, “How are you really doing?” They know us well and can tell when something’s off.Archuleta County has a variety of options for primary care. If you already have a provider, an annual wellness visit is a great way to review your health and wellness, make sure you’re up to date on screenings, and chat about your health goals.If you don’t have a provider yet, there are several healthcare organizations that can help you find one. Setting up an annual wellness visit with your new provider is a great way to build a relationship and learn more about your health and wellness. Want to boost your health and well-being? Check out the annual Health Fair & Expo in October! It’s a great place to get affordable wellness tests, connect with your primary care provider, and learn more about health and wellness.
Now’s the perfect time to schedule your annual wellness check-up, chat with your doctor, and set the stage for a healthy year ahead. For more info on primary care in Archuleta County, visit Healthy Archuleta’s website at https://www.foodcoalition4archuleta.org/primary-health-care-access.html. Last week signified the end of the Seed to Supper Gardening Education classes, sponsored by Healthy Archuleta. This concludes the third year this program has been offered to help community members grow their own fresh fruits and vegetables. The Seed to Supper garden education program, developed by Oregon State University and adapted to our region, in partnership with Healthy Archuleta, is dedicated to teaching about growing fresh food. Healthy Archuleta supports local food production by holding yearly gardening classes, sponsoring and supporting local community gardens, and engaging our youth in the future of local food production.
This year’s program had about 20 participants. One participant said, “It was amazing. They give you an entire manual that has so much information, and the best part is we get an expert grower who answers our questions and is totally versed in Pagosa and the local growing climate.” Another participant gave praise to the same binder each participant receives when they sign up for the course, “I’ve thoroughly read the binder because it’s very well laid out and there are many charts that are all related to our growing zone.” The first three of five consecutive classes took place at the PLPOA community garden beds. The Vista Lake Community Garden beds were established in 2022 with the help and sponsorship of Healthy Archuleta. The participants worked directly on the beds, learning about soil health, structure, and amending the beds with composted materials provided by the PLPOA. These vegetable beds, which are maintained and managed by the Vista Lake Community Garden Committee, a subcommittee of the PLPOA Board of Directors, will begin growing fresh produce over the next several months and then donate the harvested vegetables to local food pantries by way of Healthy Archuleta’s Food Distribution Center. The remaining two weeks of the Seed to Supper classes were held downtown at the Pagosa Springs Community Garden and focused on transplanting, direct sowing, garden maintenance, pests, weeds, fertilizing, etc. and finally end of season harvesting, how to cook what has been grown, preserving the harvest and putting beds away for winter. These classes have become an important part of Healthy Archuleta’s involvement with the Pagosa Springs community. Over the last few years, local expert gardeners and farmers have offered their time and expertise as class instructors to help educate about growing in Archuleta County. Additionally, these classes have also been offered in English and Spanish to support our community in their gardening efforts. Where to grow fresh foods this summer If you’re looking to get gardening this summer, the Pagosa Springs Community Garden has beds available for you to grow your own fresh foods. If you don’t know what you’re doing, that’s okay! Healthy Archuelta offers support with our bimonthly Gardening Conversations at Pagosa Springs Community Garden from 9 am to 10 am all summer: June 14 and 28, July 12 and 26, August 9 and 23, September 13 and 27. We hope to see you there! Where to buy fresh food this summer Looking to purchase fresh local foods this summer? Higher Grounds recently added a Tuesday Night Market from 4 pm to 8 pm every Tuesday until Labor Day. In their parking lot, find local foods, crafts, and artisans. Mark your calendars for June 14th as the first opening day for the Pagosa Springs Farmers Market from 9 am to 1 pm at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church. |
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June 2025
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