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Connecting Students to Careers, Professionals to Communities, and Communities to Better Health

Welcome to the Central Colorado AHEC monthly newsletter for January 2019.

Read below for information on upcoming community events, service opportunities, updates on our programs, and more.

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Board of Directors Spotlight

Throughout the year we will be highlighting members of our Board of Directors. This month, we are highlihgting Board President Kaycee Shiskowsky.

"Kaycee has been an invigorating presence on the Board of Directors. Her passion for engaging with the communities we serve inspires us all. I appreciate her being new to board leadership because it allows for new perspectives and opportunities to approach our growth with fresh ideas. Her ability to help guide me in shaping CCAHEC's future is priceless," CCAHEC Executive Director Lin Browning.

Kaycee was kind enough to answer a few questions about herself, her career, and her role on the Board of Directors. Enjoy!

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? Where you’re from, where you live, family info (kids, pets, etc.).

I hail from Kalispell Montana. I have a lovely husband, Jason, and two kids, Miles and Hazel. We have two rambunctious dogs, Roscoe and Edna. We live in Lakewood and love to spend our time with friends and family on the weekends.

If you could plan a vacation to anywhere in the world, where would you go? I would go to Norway to see where my ancestors came from. Both my husband and I are Norwegian and love to make authentic dishes from our grandparents.

What is one item you cannot live without?  I cannot live without coffee. It is my present to myself every day and my favorite drink at any time of day. 

What is your favorite hobby? My kids and I love to play racquetball, and when I can I love to read. 

Can you tell us about where you work, how long you’ve been working there, what your position is, and a little bit about what you do? I am a registered nurse at UCHealth and have worked here for 18 years in a multitude of departments and specialties. I worked at the bedside for 9 years, worked in leadership for the last 9 years and recently started in a new role assisting with the clinical planning and design of new health care construction. I think 9 years is my time limit to try something new. We are currently planning a 3 ^rd hospital Tower at the Anshchutz campus which is one big project with a bunch of medical office buildings throughout Colorado.  

Staff Spotlight: Bonita Shviraga

Professional Education Manager

CCAHEC Welcomes Bonita Shviraga, PhD, CNM, RN, into her new role as Professional Education Manager!

Bonita oversees programs such as the RN and LPN online refresher courses, AHEC Scholars, health professionals continuing education, and nursing student mentorship to expand their knowledge base and experience in the field of community health.

Ultimately embracing the “philosophical caring nature of nursing, rather than medical curing,” Bonita credits faculty mentorship at the University of Illinois for this pivotal guidance leading her to choose nursing as her life-long career and passion. As a first-generation college student from inner city Chicago, CCAHEC’s goal to connect students to health careers resonates strongly with her.

Professionally, Bonita is most proud of her doctoral experience and embracing it as a journey to be enjoyed in life. She speaks of the program changing her perspective and worldview, and fundamentally changing who she is as a person.

While staying busy with her husband, three children, two miniature dachshunds, and five grand-dogs, Bonita also enjoys book groups, “Church Ladies” small study group, Sunday night family dinners, theater, short day hikes, travel, international volunteer work, time spent with friends, and plays a mean game of billiards!

Staff Spotlight: Lynn Lonzanida

Education and Workforce Programs Assistant

A Japanese sage once said, “It is rare to be born human.” The Dalai Lama said, “To be born is a miracle.” These words resonate with me, and I am so glad I was born in this lifetime. My deepest gratitude to my parents. My personal mission directs my life: to raise one capable person to become someone who respects the dignity of his/her life as well as the life of others. My personal goal is to support one person during their self-transformation. My vision is that someone will continue my legacy. I also hope to be remembered after I die.

I have knowledge and life experiences that I wanted to share. Luckily, Central Colorado AHEC (CCAHEC) has provided me an avenue to share what I have learned. What do I do at CCAHEC? I will describe it this way. I am a dream builder . I help high school students, and/or underprivileged young men and young women, build a strong foundation so that they will enjoy their health care professions. I will be a mentor to young men and women, our future leaders.

“Lynn is a wonderful addition to the CCAHEC Team, and she exemplifies all that we hope to instill in the students and providers that we work with in our programs. Her passion for underserved students and the well-being of all, including the challenges she has overcome to be a compassionate healthcare provider and educator are an inspiration to us all!” said Lin Browning, CCAHEC Executive Director.

Martin Luther King Jr Day of Service

Martin Luther King Jr (MLK) Day is an important day for AmeriCorps members and the community. AmeriCorps members celebrate MLK with a day on and not a day off. It is one of the few days out of the year that AmeriCorps members are invited to leave their place of normal service and go out into the community to serve in a different way.

This year, our AmeriCorps members celebrated MLK Day, January 21, 2019, all over Colorado. Some members spent time in animal shelters, others organizing modern art basements, and for those here in Denver organizing food at the Action Center in Denver and preparing food at the Denver Rescue Mission.

The Denver AmeriCorps team was met by Lt Governor Dianne Primavera who took some time out of her day to learn more about what our program does. Primavera shared that her daughter also served for a year in AmeriCorps and that she would like to see the taxes for the education award that members are given at the end of the year go down. All of the members shared how much they enjoyed their service day and look forward to their next day of service on Cesar Chavez Day, which is March 31 ^st . The whole AmeriCorps team will be planning to get together for this one and serve in the Denver area.

Employment & Service Opportunities

Upcoming Community Events

FREE YHC Castle Rock Medical Clinic



February 9, 8:30 am - 10:30 am

St. Francis of Assisi Church

2746 5th Street, Castle Rock, Colorado

Check out the Colorado Consortium's Newsletter!

There are a lot of great people working hard and doing great things as Colorado works to combat the opioid crisis. To help everyone stay connected and informed, the Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention has created a new email to share important news, announce events and new programs, and more!

Opioid Misuse & Heroin Use in El Paso County: Scope and Impact of the Problem

Presented by: Mary Steiner, BSN, RN - CHP Community Program Manager

Please join us at Peak View for a discussion on prescription opioid misuse amongst our elderly. The objectives will be to understand the scope of the misuse and the consequences of failing to take action.  We will also talk about community efforts and educational resources.

  Tuesday February 20, 2019 3:30 - 5:00 pm

Peak View Behavioral Health

Large Conference Room

7353 Sisters Grove

Colorado Springs, CO 80923

RSVP to: Denise Warren

Community Liaison, Mobile Assessor

[email protected]

719-332-4662

Connect with Medical Schools Across the Country

Thursday, February 21, 2019

11:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. U.S. ET

Thinking about attending the AAMC Virtual Medical School Fair ? Read these reviews from attendees who attended previous fairs: 

"I was able to discuss my application specifically with a medical school I had not yet heard back from and I received an interview the week afterwards. I had initially just gone to ask for advice, assuming I was going to have to reapply, and the admissions committee took an interest in my application from that point."

"AAMC Virtual Medical School Fair provided me a way to connect with medical schools that otherwise would have been impossible. I could never afford to visit all these schools in person. And the group chats were super helpful because other potential applicants were asking questions that I had not thought about asking. The wealth of information I was able to gain by investing a whole day to this virtual fair was indeed priceless."

"It offered unparalleled access to admissions committee members that I wouldn't otherwise have. I was able to get specific questions answered and connect with actual admissions committee members, which will hopefully help me as I apply to those specific medical schools."

Managing Heart Health in the Communities We Serve - Exploring Strategies and Interventions in keeping patients healthy

Thursday, February 21, 2019, 11:00 am MST

American Heart Month is an ideal time to remind everyone to focus on their hearts and encourage them to get their families, friends and communities involved. During this webinar we will review revised heart failure guidelines and hear how one community is working to educate nurses about heart failure to reduce hospital readmissions.

Get Back into Nursing!

Our refresher courses help LPNs and RNs renew their Colorado license if they have been expired for more than two years. These online "anytime, anywhere" programs are self-paced and approved by the Colorado State Board of Nursing.

Click on one of the logos above for more information.

If you have any questions, suggestions, or feedback,

please email us at: [email protected]