Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day.

Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime. In keeping with Advocate’s faith-based values, Advocate Bethany Hospital focuses on education to improve the life-long health of its community. Bethany Hospital’s Adopt-a-School program works in two ways: teaching people to better care for themselves and to care for others.

First, Bethany nurses and educators visit schools to provide free asthma screenings for students. “Asthma affects African-Americans, especially those living in the inner city, in disproportionate numbers,” says La Trice Jackson, R.N., Bethany Hospital’s community health coordinator. “So the hospital has made confronting asthma a priority.” Asthma, a chronic disease in which airways become inflamed and narrow, restricting airflow from the lungs, can result in emergency department visits, hospitalization and lost school days. Health educators provide information to students, teachers and parents about what triggers asthma and how to treat and manage symptoms to help them avoid hospital visits.

Second, Bethany Hospital partners with John Marshall High School’s Allied Health Program to train the next generation of health care providers. Marshall’s program prepares students for training as a Certified Nurse Assistant or Licensed Practical Nurse over three years of curriculum and on-site training. Bethany Hospital is the training ground, where students do their clinical rotations and can choose to assist with the hospital’s community outreach department. Through these free health programs, Bethany Hospital is making an impact on its community now and for years to come.