HCA Students Deliver Community Health Tools in Partnership with KCHC

Written by SLC Communications  

This spring, 30 graduating students from SLC’s Health Care Administration program partnered with Kingston Community Health Centres to tackle three pressing issues: human trafficking awareness, responsible AI use for families, and a redesign of KCHC's volunteer engagement systems. Over nine weeks, students conducted literature reviews, needs assessments, and frontline staff interviews before presenting their findings at a final showcase on April 20th. 

"This year's Health Care Administration students have made a very meaningful and progressive contribution to Kingston Community Health Centres," said Wendy Vuyk, Director of Community Health at KCHC. "The awareness materials they created has the potential to save lives. KCHC serves over 10,000 patients and clients, so our reach is broad. The caliber of their work is absolutely outstanding." 

The human trafficking team produced staff screening tools, a PSA video, a resource website prototype, and a comic book for Pathways to Education youth addressing online gaming as a trafficking recruitment pathway. The AI ethics team delivered a responsible-use workshop, parent pocket cards with real-world scenarios, and take-home resource guides.

The volunteer engagement team redesigned KCHC's volunteer infrastructure with updated job descriptions, a digital dashboard, referral pathways, and an appreciation wall.  Every tool was grounded in direct staff input and ready to deploy. 

The cohort brings clinical experience from eight countries, including physicians, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, and allied health practitioners from India, Mexico, Colombia, Lebanon, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, and Nepal. Alongside their capstone projects, each student completed 35 hours of volunteer service at organizations across Kingston, including Martha's Table, Providence Care, and Community Living Kingston.