Avery Corenswet, RN, MHA
VP of Clinical Community Outreach at Ochsner Medical Center
Ochsner’s commitment to Bonnabel goes well beyond the walls of the clinic to focus on the overall health and fitness of the students, staff and parents of the school. Avery Corenswet, RN, MHA, VP of Clinical Community Outreach at Ochsner Medical Center, talks about the depth of Ochsner’s involvement:
We decided the center itself was only one component of what we wanted to accomplish.
We brought Elmwood Fitness Center in to work with the schools’ PE programs to improve their quality.
A nutritionist from Elmwood is working to identify healthier offerings at the school — both lunches and healthier snacks. We are working with their culinary education program to identify how to work with teachers to make healthier alternatives.
Another component to the nutrition program is working with Jefferson schools’ cable access channel to develop cooking classes with students and our chef to teach people how to choose the appropriate foods. The hour-long episodes were filmed over the summer.
In addition, we are working with teachers, students and staff on weight loss. We offered the “Biggest Losers” program for teachers and a military-style boot camp fitness training class for students.
We also have some of our nurses who go into the schools and work with the teachers to do screenings such as cholesterol, blood pressure and skin cancer. We’re also doing education for the staff.
Another component we are working with is career development. Ochsner Medical Center - Kenner has brought speakers in to talk to students about careers in healthcare and potential internship programs for students.
Our thought is that it’s not just the clinic, but what else we can do to help the students and staff.
As part of Ochsner’s Change the kids, change the future™, we want to export what we are doing in Bonnabel to other schools. We want to put it in schools where, like at Bonnabel, it’s a true partnership that can make an impact on the future of our children.
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