A Unique Vocational Training Experience for High School Seniors with Learning Disabilities
Structured Learning Experience Graduates pose for a photo with Newark Beth Israel senior leaders including, Marilyn Harris, VP, Community Relations; Kim Cook, Director of Community Relations and Volunteer Services; Doug Zehner, Chief Operating Officer; and Nikolas Alexiades, Chief Financial Officer and Kathy Kuchta, Teacher, Newark Public Schools.
NEWARK, NJ (June 13, 2018) – In an emotional ceremony, eight Newark high school seniors who participated in Newark Beth Israel Medical Center’s Structured Learning Experience Program (SLEP) were awarded certificates of participation from Newark Beth Israel Medical Center.
This unique program offers high school students with learning challenges the opportunity to complete their senior year of high school at Newark Beth Israel.
The students spend a portion of the day receiving onsite classroom instruction from a Newark Public School special education instructor and another portion of their day learning from hospital staff and contributing to hospital departments.
By the end of the program these students meet the academic requirements for graduation and have worked alongside employee mentors in various hospital departments based on their interests and abilities.
“It’s great to see our students getting prepared for the real world and getting the confidence they need to be successful after graduation,” said Kim Cook, Director of Community Relations and Volunteer Services, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey, who runs the program.
SLEP has made a lasting difference in the lives of students who were considered at-risk youth because of learning challenges.
“Through the Structured Learning Experience Program, Newark Beth Israel has provided internship opportunities for close to 150 special needs students. Many of these students go on to careers in health care, in fact one past graduate is a nurse at Newark Beth Israel and has since received two awards for providing excellent patient care,” said Darrell K. Terry, Sr., MHA, MPH, FACHE, President and Chief Executive Officer of Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey.
The Structured Learning Experience Program (SLEP) is celebrating its 12th anniversary this year and is a 2016 NJBiz Healthcare Hero Award finalist. The program was also honored by the Essex County and Newark Workforce Development Boards’ Disability Issues Committee as an Employer Who Champions Employment for People with Disabilities.
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, is a 665-bed regional care teaching hospital that provides comprehensive health care. Newark Beth Israel is home to one of the nation’s top five heart transplant centers, which has performed more than 1,000 heart transplants; RWJBarnabas Health’s Heart Failure Treatment and Transplant Program; New Jersey’s only Advanced Lung Disease and Transplant Program and a Valve Center that performs more cardiac valve procedures, including minimally invasive transcatheter aortic valve replacements (TAVRs), than any other center in the state. Newark Beth Israel Medical Center is also home to Children’s Hospital of New Jersey (CHoNJ), which cares for children from birth through adolescence, with more than 30 specialized pediatric services including New Jersey’s largest Valerie Fund Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders; and the Children’s Heart Center that offers a complete range of medical and surgical treatments for the most complex cardiac abnormalities. The Newark Beth Israel robotic surgery program is the most experienced in northern New Jersey. The Frederick B. Cohen, MD, Cancer and Blood Disorders Center and the Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey Breast Health Center provide seamless integration of cancer prevention, specialized care and treatment options. Newark Beth Israel also offers many preventive health programs that promote wellness in the community, including The Beth Greenhouse, which provides access to fresh produce and health and wellness education to local residents.
Contact: Patricia Mitrano
patricia.mitrano@rwjbh.org
973-926-7531