partnership with FRHSD
is off to good start
CentraState foundation
supports learning center
Board members told
partnership with FRHSD
is off to good start
BY DAVE BENJAMIN
Staff Writer
The Freehold Regional High School District Medical Sciences Learning Center has received a special donation from the CentraState Healthcare Foundation Board of Trustees.
The medical sciences learning center is based at Freehold Borough High School.
"The program is off and running," said John McGeehan, community relations coordinator for CentraState Healthcare System, Freehold Township, who described the program to date.
"We started in September with the medical sciences group and we have had our senior externs at the hospital twice a month [during] September, October and now November."
McGeehan said students taking part in the program that links the FRHSD and CentraState have been following the doctors on their rounds at CentraState Medical Center in a fashion similar to a hospital residency.
On one occasion, a group of medical sciences students were on hand as a baby was being delivered and the students saw the cleaning and care that was given to the infant, he explained.
"It was a high-risk birth, so they saw our special care nursery," said McGeehan. "They also had the good fortune of seeing an actual live procedure [operation] where a surgeon was removing polyps from a patient’s colon."
McGeehan said the cooperative program has gone far beyond what had been anticipated. Last month the students met with the chief of pathology at CentraState, who is also the Monmouth County medical examiner. McGeehan explained that CentraState is the location of the Monmouth County morgue.
"Out of all the programs that I’ve heard, this is one of the most exciting ones," said Nathan Davidson, a member of the Board of Trustees of the CentraState Healthcare Foundation. "We’re very pleased that the regional high school district has welcomed us in, and we are pleased to be a part of it."
At a recent meeting of the FRHSD Board of Education, Davidson presented a check for $1,500 to high school senior Christine Lin, the medical sciences secretary treasurer; senior John Wilder, medical sciences president; teachers Susan Seigel and Jennifer Seerey; and Nicholas Mennuti, supervisor of the medical sciences learning center.
"I understand that the program is looking for some equipment and some materials and we felt that you could buy it better than we can," Davidson said. We’re giving you [check] this as a start. We have very high hopes collectively and we’re so excited."
Davidson also presented the students with a Nikon biomedical microscope on behalf of Dr. John Brandeisky, a surgeon/podiatrist affiliated with Centra
State Medical Center.
"This is his very expensive microscope," said Davidson. "It is his [personal] donation to the program."
Board member Marlene Caruso of Freehold Township said the staff of the hospital has been involved in the medical sciences program since 1984 and was part of the advisory council that helped to establish the learning center.
Caruso was the first director of the medical sciences learning center.
"I’m so proud and so pleased that we have reached this level," she said.
FRHSD Superintendent of Schools James Wasser said he has been in contact with McGeehan to discuss grants that may be available from CentraState.
Students from Howell attend the six schools in the Freehold Regional High School District.