HCAP Weekly May 8, 2017

In this week’s issue:

Youth Services Students Learn about Healthcare Education
Former Kumuhonua Resident Successfully Transitions to Senior Housing
Kalihi STEM Students Get Brainy
HCAP District Service Centers Getting Ready for LIHEAP
HCAP Head Start Accepting Applications for the 2017-2018 School Year

Youth Services Students Learn about Healthcare Education

This week, an admissions representative from a local vocational school visited the Youth Services C-Base class to talk about career choices. Medical professionals such as medical assistants and medical billing coders are two job discipline programs offered by Med-Assist School of Hawaii (MASH). They also happen to be middle-class jobs that are growing in the US; an aging population, combined with newly insured individuals, has created a career boom in healthcare.

Paul Billington, the admissions representative from MASH, stressed the importance of the students continuing their education after receiving their C-Base certificate. “Whatever you do, give it 105%,” he told the students, explaining that hard work and discipline goes a long way.

Paul talked about MASH and options available to students interested in the medical field. MASH offers students the opportunity to obtain a certificate in medical assisting in just nine months and a certificate in medical coding in just three months. For those wanting flexibility, MASH offers both day and evening classes. It also provides comprehensive student services, including career placement assistance, hands-on training and financial aid.

Former Kumuhonua Resident Successfully Transitions to Senior Housing

In June 2016, Oinah’s landlord informed her that the rental unit she had been renting for years was up for sale. With limited financial resources and income, Oinah was unable to afford market rent. Oinah was at-risk of becoming homeless. Oinah did her research and signed up for the Kumuhonua Transitional Living Center. A month later, she was accepted into the Kumuhonua program.

During Oinah’s stay at Kumuhonua she diligently worked with a case manager on financial budgeting and a housing search. In February 2017, Oinah received a referral to the Nanaikeola Senior Housing Apartments. With assistance of her case manager, Oinah completed the application process and submitted all of the required documentation. Within a couple of months, Oinah got a call back. With the funds she had saved over the past year, she was able to place a deposit and first month’s rent regarding an available unit. Oinah successfully transitioned and exited Kumuhonua in April 2017.

Kalihi STEM Students Get Brainy

Last week at the Hā Initiative: Creative STEM After-School Program’s Kalihi STEM Exploration Center, the students continued learning about the human brain. The students had previously learned about the hemispheres of the brain (the left hemisphere and the right hemisphere) and the lobes of the brain (frontal lobe, temporal lobe, occipital lobe, and parietal lobe). Now it was time to talk about short-term memory, which is stored in a part of the frontal lobe known as the prefrontal cortex.

Whereas long-term memory can last for days, weeks, or years, short-term memory only lasts for less than thirty seconds. The class learned about Miller’s Magic Number, which explained that most humans can only memorize about seven numbers or pictures at a time, plus or minus two. For the class activity, students did a short-term memory related activity. The students were asked to look at a paper with various photos on them for thirty seconds. Then, they had to flip the paper over and write down the pictures they could remember. Finally, the class made a graph after the second go-around to see how many students remembered certain images according the size of the photos and the direction they read in (left to right).

HCAP District Service Centers Getting Ready for LIHEAP

During the month of May, HCAP’s District Service Centers are busy getting ready for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which will take place in the month of June. The staff is also doing various outreach activities and intake at select satellite locations throughout the island of Oahu. The purpose of the satellite locations is to serve vulnerable populations such as seniors and those with disabilities since it is harder for them to make on-site visits to the District Service Center. Seniors who completed their applications through the Leahi District Service Center this week were grateful to the staff for their assistance in completing the forms and applying to the program.

For those who are planning to apply for LIHEAP in June, more information is available on our website. The LIHEAP application can also be downloaded, printed, and filled out by the applicant, then brought to the application site.

HCAP Head Start Accepting Applications for the 2017-2018 School Year

Are you or someone you know in need of comprehensive early childhood education? Spread the word! HCAP Head Start is now accepting applications for children 3-5 years for the 2017-2018 school year. Families are encouraged to apply by calling (808) 847-2400 or visiting our website.