This semester, Director of Health Services, Jan Schlaier, Edu.D., FNP-BC and Health/Wellness Educators, Amy Faus, MPH, CPH, CHES and Angeline Osores BS had the opportunity to serve as guest lecturers at William Paterson University. Dr. Corey Basch, Ed.D., MPH, CHES Associate Professor in the Department of Public Health, asked if members of the Behavioral Health Home team could present to her Program Planning class. This course introduces students to public health program planning methods with an emphasis on planning health promotion/health education interventions. Strategies and techniques for community-based needs assessment are presented. Students will develop and use the skills needed to plan for the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of strategies to improve individual and community health. William Paterson University’s Bachelor of Science in Public Health is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), one of just a handful of standalone undergraduate public health programs in the US to receive this distinction.
Behavioral Health Home
The Behavioral Health Home (BHH) team members shared their experience and expertise from the process of developing Bergen’s Promise Behavioral Health Home. The lecture provided undergraduate students case examples of how public health program planning theories and best practices can be applied in the field when working with youth with co-occurring behavioral and medical health challenges.
“The presentation was outstanding and it covered exactly what I was hoping for. We will certainly be looking forward to doing this again.” said Dr. Basch.
Said one student, “Thank you for coming and sharing your program; it was a great presentation and a tremendous help for us. Sharing your experience and methodology gave me a broader view of public health.”
Angeline, a recent William Paterson graduate and current Health/Wellness Educator at Bergen’s Promise, was able to recognize the value from both perspectives. “It is different when you have an external person come into the classroom and explain what you are learning in class and show you how it is applied in the real world setting. Being a recent graduate at William Paterson gave me the necessary tools to advance my Public Health career.”
Bergen’s Promise team members are always willing to collaborate in the preparation of future health, wellness and social service professionals. Contact Community Resources if you’d like to have a guest lecturer in one of your courses. Email: communityresources@bergenspromise.org.
