News from the Western Regional Center

AHEC Comedy Night Raises Funds and Laughs

Something funny happened on September 22, 2016. The Western Regional Area Health Education Center (AHEC) held its very first Night of Comedy fundraiser to support the new Health Care and Human Services Summer Pipeline Program. The event was held in the newly designed Woodland Suites conference center at the WMU-Grand Rapids Beltline location.

There is evidence that laughter, while not necessarily "the best medicine," is immensely important to health care and healing. With that in mind, the Western Regional Center AHEC put together a program that would please attendees while raising money for this important program.

Comedians Tim Cusak, Joe Anderson, Ben Wilke and Dave Dyer delighted the nearly sold out crowd with an evening of standup comedy and improvisation focused on the more humorous aspects of health care.

"I especially want to thank our sponsors: Spectrum Health Gerber Memorial, Mercy Health, Michigan Blood and WMU's Extended University Programs," said Lisa Brennan, executive director of the Western Regional AHEC. "Because of them, we were able to put nearly 100% of the proceeds back into the program."

Beginning with summer 2017, the Health Care and Human Services Summer Pipeline Program will support high school graduates from disadvantaged and underrepresented areas in the AHEC catchment area and house them for a summer session at WMU's main campus in Kalamazoo. This will allow the students to begin classes that September having already earned 12 credit hours.

The first Night of Comedy event was so successful that plans are in the works to make it an annual event.

MSU Immersion Day

The MSU Immersion Day on September 28, 2016 hosted 60 students from the Muskegon Career Tech Center at MSU's College of Human Medicine in Grand Rapids. Students interacted with an attending physician, medical students, an admissions representative and participated in a health activity and tour the facility. This is the first of 3 visits that will host over 150 students studying allied health and health biosciences at Muskegon's Career Tech Center.