Student Volunteer Programs Expand to WWAMI Region

	Fields west of Ritzville, Wash.

Two Seattle volunteer programs aimed at helping health sciences students learn about underserved populations through direct experience and community service are expanding to the five-state WWAMI region. The programs are CHAP (Community Health Advancement Project) and SPARX (Student Providers Aspiring to Rural and Underserved eXperiences).

Both programs are well established in Seattle. CHAP sponsors volunteer community service projects that are organized and run by students. Current Seattle projects, for example, include dermatology care at a homeless shelter and one-on-one support for low-income pregnant teens. SPARX is an interdisciplinary program that brings together students from the schools of dentistry, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, public health and community medicine, and social work for field trips and seminars. SPARX also offers hands-on experience in public service: volunteers staff a van that provides medical care and social services for street youth.

To extend service learning across the region, each of the Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) in the UW network are creating customized programs on local campuses, each adapted to local circumstances and modeled after CHAP and SPARX. The AHECs are located in Wyoming, eastern and western Washington, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho.

For example, a SPARX chapter formed at the University of Wyoming is coordinating interdisciplinary educational seminars. CHAP volunteers helped with a grade-school health fair and joined Big Brothers, Big Sisters, a mentoring program for children in need.

In Montana, students assisted in a campaign to raise public awareness of rural community clinic services and volunteered in a program to introduce preteen girls to math and science careers.

“Early accomplishments have been encouraging,” said Peter House, director of the UW’s Programs for Healthy Communities. “We expect these expansions beyond Seattle to take root and become self-sustaining.”