KPHA is active on-campus, as well as off-campus. Through many years of service, KPHA has developed several lasting partnerships with organizations:
American Red Cross
WKU has utilized educational opportunities and experiences from the American Red Cross to better educate students within the university. The Red Cross aids in teaching classes to students in areas of first aid and CPR. Recently, Public Health faculty member Dr. Steve Nagy launched an STD and HIV training course that is taught in collaboration with the American Red Cross. The American Red Cross Public Health Education Division helps save more lives by developing, evaluating, implementing and supporting innovative prevention programs, so this course is very important for students interested in entering the Public Health workforce. Furthermore, students are able to provide services to the Red Cross through volunteerism, as in disaster relief projects. Many KPHA members have utilized this extraordinary partnership with the Red Cross to further their education within the field of Public Health.
Future Selves Project
WKU has had a lasting relationship with the Warren County Regional Juvenile Detention Center for a few years. Students within the Public Health program who choose to volunteer with the Program undergo training with the Future Selves Curriculum and understand how to teach and administer information to the students within the Juvenile Detention Center. Students are assigned to small groups consisting of three to four people and work together to develop appropriate activities and discussions based on the curriculum. The program lasts one semester long; students are required to donate at least six Saturdays throughout the semester to teach at the Juvenile Detention Center. Public Health faculty member Dr. Steve Nagy helped to develop the Future Selves Curriculum and initiated the program with the Detention Center. While Dr. Nagy plays an active role with the Future Selves Project, he also delegates leadership tasks to students to help empower the students of the program.
Housing Authority
The Housing Authority provides decent, safe, and sanitary housing to those in need at an affordable cost. In addition to providing housing at several locations throughout the city of Bowling Green, the Housing Authority provides programs to assist low-income individuals and families become self-sufficient. The Housing Authority holds partnerships with organizations including the Bowling Green Human Rights Commission, Western Kentucky University, and the Salvation Army. Within the WKU KPHA chapter, many students volunteer their time during the semester to assist the Housing Authority in educating clients about becoming more self-sufficient and how to manage good health practices. This partnership between KPHA and the Housing Authority is new, but the feedback from the organization has been such that it looks as if this partnership will be lasting.
Kelly Autism Program
The Kelly Autism Program is a part of the Clinical Education Complex at WKU and helps to provide services to clients that have special needs due to autism. KPHA has partnered with the Kelly Autism Program in providing volunteers to help with day-to-day tasks and services of the Program. KPHA has also helped the Program with donations and by participating in events sponsored by the the Kelly Autism Program.
Smile Kentucky
Smile Kentucky is an Oral Health Education Program and is sponsored by South Central Kentucky Area Health Education Council. KPHA students have volunteered with the program for a few years, and teach children about basic oral hygiene, the importance of taking care of teeth, and the difference between baby and permanent teeth. Volunteers of the program travel to local elementary schools within South Central Kentucky to provide the educational experiences to children. This partnership between KPHA members and Smile Kentucky has enabled students to obtain significant experiences within the field of Public Health and has also strengthened the teaching skills of the students.
Smoke-free Communities Coalition
The Smoke-free Communities Coalition is comprised of citizens and professionals within the Kentucky counties of Warren, Simpson, Hart, Metcalfe, Barren, Butler, Logan, and Edmonson. The diverse coalition includes representatives from the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, Barren River District Health Department, Bowling Green Parks and Recreation, area schools, area hospitals, Lifeskills, Housing Authority, Graves Gilbert Clinic, Healthy Start, March of Dimes, Warren County ASAP Board, and Western Kentucky University. The coalition meets each month to discuss ways to reduce tobacco-related deaths and illnesses within the communities. Goals of the coalition include prevention of youth initiation, promoting cessation programs, eliminating exposure to secondhand smoke, and building capacity for the implementation of tobacco control initiatives. The WKU representatives within this coalition include the KPHA president and the faculty coordinator. As a result of this involvement and partnership with Smoke-free Communities Coalition, KPHA has been able to utilize the coalition’s resources at events promoting tobacco education and prevention on-campus and within the community. One of the ultimate goals of KPHA in tandem with the coalition is to help promote a smoke-free policy on WKU’s campus.