Northwest RC&D Council grant provides medical equipment for FHS students

FLORENCE, Ala. — Florence High School health science students are getting a hands-on experience with equipment they could potentially use in a future medical career. The funding for the equipment came from a Northwest Alabama Resource Conservation and Development Council grant.

FHS Health Science Instructor Nurse Heather James said the application submission focused on “Healthy Habits for a Healthy Future.”

“The grant that we applied for was to supply equipment for our classroom that could benefit our students to help teach the content for the health science program, so that we can keep our students up-to-date with current equipment that they will be utilizing after they transition into their next steps after completing high school,” James said.

The equipment purchased included an exam table for physical assessments, hospital beds, a vital sign monitor, and a Doppler machine for vascular assessments.

“We want to be able to utilize small types of equipment that maybe aren’t common in a hospital setting, but they [students] know what they are once they get exposed to them,” James explained.

James said the new equipment will benefit health science students for years to come.

“I think it’s excellent to be able to show our students that we have state-of-the-art equipment that is equivalent to what they are going to be utilizing in their other programs in a post-secondary opportunity,” James added. “That way, they are used to some of those things, and it’s less intimidating for them, and they feel confident in their training skills.”

James and the health science students showed their appreciation for the Northwest Alabama RC&D Council for its role in amplifying the health science program’s impact.

By Jeremy Jackson