By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Health Occupations Students of America, now HOSA-Future Health Professionals, is an international organization that empowers future healthcare workers through education, collaboration, and experience. Founded in 1976, the organization will be entering just its fourth year at Great Bend High School. Still, several GBHS students qualified to attend this year's international conference in Houston from June 26-29. Sponsor Joseph Bliven went before the USD 428 Board of Education Monday night to seek approval for the trip.
"It's a global group run by students and recognized by the U.S. Department of Education," he said. "It's just trying to help students become leaders in the world of health. It's all about exploration in health careers, building those skills, building a network, and everything you need to be successful in a health career."
HOSA Board President Jasmine Figueroa, an incoming junior at GBHS, and sophomore Jackson Trudeau won first place in community awareness at a state competition to qualify. Figueroa also placed third in extemporaneous writing. Sophomore Bella Long placed third in a biology test at state. Junior Eliana Teri worked with Cailyn and Cara Murphy to qualify in the medical innovation category with their device to help epilepsy patients: a wristband that contains medicine and a QR code that can be scanned to release that medicine when a patient is suffering a seizure.
"Everything is taken care of using our HOSA funds, so I'm not asking for money from you guys at all," Bliven told the board. "HOSA is an expensive group. It takes a lot to keep it going, so we rely heavily on donations from businesses - a lot of the medical places, veterinary places donate to the cause."
The board approved the trip. The keynote speaker at this year's conference is Dr. Rayne Rouce, a pediatric oncologist and physican scientist professor at Baylor College of Medicine.