Alton Memorial honored for helping students explore health careers
ALTON – Alton Memorial Hospital has received the Business Supporter of the Year award from the Madison County Career & Technology Education program.
AMH, through the work of volunteer coordinator Kathleen Turner and also retired volunteer coordinator Irene McLaughlin, was nominated by Jennifer Weller, the Medical Occupations teacher at Edwardsville High School
“This award is given each year to a local business that works with the schools in our system to provide materials, speakers, internships, tours, and/or other much needed resources,” said Rob Werden, director of the Madison County CTE system. “The partnership of business and education provides many worthwhile experiences for our students and teachers.”
“Irene and I have worked with Jennifer’s students getting them oriented and set up for each semester to shadow in different departments of the hospital,” Turner said. “It’s all about connecting the classroom to business and industry. It’s a great program and we’re happy to be a part of it.”
CTE represents two divisions, Business and Applied Tech, which include a wide variety of career paths. The Medical Occupations program falls into the category of Applied Tech.
“In this division, our goal is to provide knowledge and skills for a smooth transition from high school to a college major or directly into the work force,” said Weller. “Business partnerships are vital to the success of our programs, as they provide our students with the real application of classroom material.”
AMH has also opened its doors for teachers in the Madison County CTE system to take tours and has provided professional development speakers to help keep teachers on the cutting edge of what is going on in the health care field.
“I am pleased to present this award to Alton Memorial Hospital for all it has done to help us develop future health care professionals,” Werden said. “They are a great friend to our CTE programs, and education as a whole, in Madison County.”
PHOTO: Rob Werden, coordinator of the Madison County Career and Technical Education program, presents a plaque to Kathleen Turner, volunteer coordinator at Alton Memorial, as AMH was chosen the program’s Business Supporter of the Year in the Applied Tech division.
