Loaded with Petri dishes and lab slides, Upland Hills Health staff member Amy Steffes, made the behind-the-scenes world of healthcare come alive for the second grade students of Mineral Point.

Keeping the lesson practical Steffes, worked with her co-workers to create bacteria specimens that showed the impact of not washing your hands and not washing your hands thoroughly. A chorus of “yuk” and “eeew” could be heard as the students passed around the fuzzy bacterial growth in the Petri dishes. “It gave the kids a chance to see the role of the lab in the hospital as well as reinforce the common-sense but important practice of washing hands, ” explained Steffes.

Blood sample slides for the children to view through class room microscopes were also part of the presentation.
Steffes saw the Mineral Point Parent Career Days held at the end of the school year as a golden opportunity to create interest in healthcare and awareness of Upland Hills Health as the local provider. Steffes’ son, Lance, was a second grader in Ms. Niehaus’ classroom.