���챬��

Innovative partnership gives students hands-on healthcare experience while improving patient outcomes in Crawford County.

Robinson, Ill. --  A new partnership between Lincoln Trail College and Crawford Memorial Hospital is launching a Community Health Coaching Program (CHCP) that will give students real-world experience in healthcare while offering crucial support to patients managing chronic health conditions in Crawford County.

The innovative program, set to begin this summer, allows students to work directly with patients under the supervision of healthcare professionals. Through classroom learning and one-on-one coaching, students will develop both clinical and interpersonal skills while helping improve the health and wellbeing of individuals in the community.

“This was an idea that Doug Florkowski brought to me almost two years ago, and I’m so glad that he did,” said LTC President Tona Ambrose. “From the first time he shared how the Community Health Coaching Program worked, I saw the potential. I knew there was a need for this kind of health and wellness support in our county, and that this would be an awesome experience for students interested in health professions.”

The program is modeled after one at Wooster College in Ohio, where Florkowski, CEO of Crawford Memorial Hospital, first encountered the concept at a leadership conference. “The CEO at Wooster Community Hospital did a presentation on their program and I was hooked,” Florkowski said. “I thought this is something we could duplicate with LTC and have the same positive impact in Crawford County.”

Earlier this year, Ambrose, Florkowski, and Dr. Alani Frederick, Dean of Health Professions for Illinois Eastern Community Colleges, traveled together to Wooster along with CMH Chief Practice Management Officer Sandy Steffey, CMH Director of Infection Prevention Sharri Jeffers, CMH Quality Specialist Megan Pifer, to observe the program firsthand. “Going to Wooster was what really set this initiative in motion,” said Ambrose. “The minute we saw how the program worked and talked with students in the program, we knew that we could do this in Crawford County.”

The CHCP is open to students with a 3.0 GPA who have graduated from high school by June 4, 2025. The program begins with a summer course at LTC, HEA 2299, taught by Dr. Jared Gullett and a team of healthcare professionals. Students will attend weekly sessions that combine a didactic lesson approach with lectures from area experts, including physicians, nurses, social workers, and case managers.

Upon successful completion of the LTC course, students will undergo a competency orientation at CMH, where they will be matched with a patient. From August through December, students will voluntarily serve as Community Health Coaches, meeting weekly with their assigned patient and participating in regular clinical reviews with a CMH nurse and other CMH health professionals.

The program primarily focuses on patients with Congestive Heart Failure, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Hypertension, or Diabetes—individuals who often struggle with medication compliance or face frequent emergency room visits. “The Health Coach becomes another set of eyes and ears to do everything possible to set the patient up for success,” said Florkowski. “This is a program that has the opportunity to prevent health crises from happening. Providing consistent, preventative care is one of the most effective ways to positively impact outcomes.”

Dr. Frederick emphasized how impactful the program will be for students, both personally and professionally. “They’re able to get hands-on experience, work with people, and have meaningful interactions,” she said. “It gives them a realm to apply what they’ve learned and truly understand the patient experience—something that’s usually not available to students until much later in their academic journey.”

Students will gain insight into the social, emotional, and logistical aspects of healthcare that aren’t often covered in textbooks. “It’s really easy to think about social determinants of health in a book setting,” Frederick said. “But it’s different when you’re in someone’s home, helping them pick out healthy meals on a budget or start an exercise program to manage their COPD. This program gives them earlier exposure to those kinds of real-world conversations.”

Ambrose noted that CMH’s commitment to covering the cost of the course was key to ensuring accessibility. “We wanted all students interested in health professions to have access to the opportunity,” she said. “CMH said without hesitation that they would cover the costs for students to take the HEA 2299 summer course.”

Beyond immediate academic benefits, the CHCP is expected to help build a pipeline of future healthcare workers in the region. “Even if it’s not in healthcare, the skills learned by being a Health Coach will help prepare you for pretty much any field,” said Florkowski. “To be able to put this on a resume will give them a leg up as they pursue whatever program or career they choose. We are confident that this program will help expose students to the wonderful and rewarding world of healthcare. For students interested in careers like nursing, respiratory therapy, radiology, or other specialties, this is a structured and impactful way to explore those careers early on.”

Frederick believes the program is a perfect fit for a two-year college setting. “You can have all the benefits of the university experience here in a community college—close to home, and helping the people that matter to you: your friends, your neighbors, the people you run into at the grocery store,” she said.

“This is a great example of how LTC and community partners can come together to benefit students and residents alike,” said Ambrose. “I envision this program being replicated in other nearby rural communities and serving countless others throughout our entire IECC district.”

Applications for the inaugural CHCP cohort are due May 2, 2025. Interested students can learn more at www.iecc.edu/healthcoachCMH.