Empowering Teens to Focus on Health Issues in their own Communities
The Force for Health® TEAMS Project is part of the Health Professions Affinity Community (HPAC), which introduces students to health related careers while empowering them to address their community's most pressing health disparities.
Health Professions Affinity Community (HPAC) introduces students to health related careers while empowering them to address their community’s most pressing health disparities.
We are cultivating the next generation of healthcare professionals for medically underserved communities by introducing students to secure health careers and supporting them every step of the way.
The program is part of the Citizenship Health Institute, powered by the Force for Health® Network, offering free and low cost resources that support the practice of healthier citizenship throughout the globe.
Main HPAC Goals
Build safe-sharing networks that address the SDoH in the community by preparing and supporting Community Champions to self identify the most pressing health concerns in their communities;
Create alliances of community health partners through a combination of technology, HPAC projects and entrepreneurs to improve health from within communities with community members
To increase the number of diverse students interested in pursuing a career in the health professions
To develop and asses the four C’s by practicing creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and communication
To help students become knowledge workers and for us to remain competitive as a nation by practicing Wagner’s 21st Century Skills.
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Programs to Enhance Educational Opportunities
Health Professions Affinity Community (HPAC) is a program designed to empower youth to identify and address health concerns in their community utilizing academic skills bolstered by non-cognitive learning impacts (i.e., self-management, positive social connectivity, motivation, self-agency and on-going metacognition). HPAC can be operationalized as a part of the students’ learning in the classroom, as an extra-curricular or as an add on to existing activities (see www.HPAC.us).
HPAC utilizes the IDEAS ((a) Identifying important health concerns, (b) Developing efforts to solve those challenges with the resources and barriers within a community, (c) Enacting the program and engaging partners (d) Assessing the impact of their program, and (e) Sharing their successes with their community) model as the framework based on a socio-constructivist approach that envisions unlimited opportunity.
Topics and Standards Addressed
| Topic | Grade Level | Arizona Standards | Delivery |
| Science | 9-12 | P1-P2, L1&L2 | 12,18-week course |
| Educational Technology | 9-12 | All Standards | 12,18-week course or all year |
| Language Arts | 9-12 | 9-12RL 1-4,6,7, 9 WL1-9, SL1-6 | 12,18-week course or all year |
*Meet all Health Standards
[1] All programs have Gold Standard Evaluation Measures Available.
Jr. CHW program* teaches young people an approach to health that is critical to their journey to becoming active healthy. The CHW Junior Program provides students with the knowledge and set of working tools, which enables them to understand how they can actively address the health of their community and learn how to be active life-long participants in healthy communities. Students complete full competencies of a CHW.
Topics and Standards Addressed
|
Topic |
Grade Level | Arizona Standards | Delivery |
| Science | 9-12 | P1-P3, L1&L2 | 18-week course |
| Educational Technology | 9-12 | All Standards | 18-week course or all year |
| Language Arts | 9-12 | 9-12RL 1-4,6,7, 9 WL1-9, SL1-6 | 18-week course or all year |
*Meet all Health Standards
[1] All programs have Gold Standard Evaluation
Academy Opportunities* are 40 hours in content rich health domains that focus on Population, Behavioral, Technology and Equity in Health. Each Academy also provides a Student Success Plan.
Topics and Standards Addressed
| Topic | Grade Level | Arizona Standards | Delivery |
| Science | 9-12 | P1-P4, L1&L2 | 18-week course |
| Social Studies | 9-12 | 18-week course or all year | |
| Educational Technology | 9-12 | All Standards | 18-week course or all year |
| Language Arts | 9-12 | 9-12RL 1-4,6,7, 9 WL1-9, SL1-6 | 18-week course or all year |
*Meet all Health Standards
[1] All programs have Gold Standard Evaluation
