The Batavia Veterans Administration Medical Center has been selected as a principal class location for the Genesee Region College Tech Prep Health Careers Academy. The Health Careers Academy is a new program that provides GLOW area high school students with the opportunity to explore a wide range of health care career options while earning college credits. Students enrolled in this program attend classes at Genesee Community College or the Genesee Valley Board of Cooperative Educational Services class at Batavia VA Medical Center for five mornings a week and their normal high school classes in the afternoons. The Batavia VA Medical Center is providing classroom space for this program, and the opportunity for students to experience a number of health care professions first hand through job shadowing.

The Health Careers Academy is a partnership between the Genesee Valley BOCES, Genesee Community College, and the Genesee Region College Tech Prep Consortium. Funding for the Health Careers Academy comes partially from a four-year federal grant of $800,000 to the consortium that is administered through Genesee Community College. The majority of the funding, however, comes from tuitions paid to BOCES Career and Technical Education Division by component school districts. Plans are being developed to start a second Health Careers Academy in the fall of 2002 at a location outside of Batavia in order to allow students from other areas better access to the program.

For the fall semester, students will attend Genesee Community College to participate in a Cell Biology class, while Donna Thompson (BOCES instructor) will teach two college courses (First Year Experience and Personal Health) integrated into the Basic New York State Health Core Curriculum at the VA site. Job shadowing will occur at the Batavia VA Medical Center, United Memorial Medical Center and at other area health care facilities. By June of 2002, students will have received high school credit as well as 15 college credits. Students pay tuition to Genesee Community College at a reduced rate for the college courses.

Currently there are 14 students enrolled representing the following high schools: Attica, Batavia, Byron-Bergen, Caledonia-Mumford, Notre Dame, Oakfield-Alabama and Pavilion.

The Health Careers Academy is open to high school juniors and seniors with an interest in health careers who plan on attending college or technical school. Prerequisites include a "B" average and completion of high school chemistry. For more information about the Health Careers Academy contact Cathy Fava at Genesee Valley BOCES (716-344-7726) or Kathy McDonald at Genesee Community College (716-343-0055). Information is also available through high school counselors.