Casten with members of the university The Xavierite
On Oct. 30, Representative Sean Casten was given a tour of some of Saint Xavier University’s facilities, including the Center for Health and Wellness (CHW), the Ludden Speech Clinic, and the Simulated Integrated Learning Center (SILC).
Casten, who represents the sixth district of Illinois in Congress, was elected to the House of Representatives in Nov. of 2018.
The Center for Health and Wellness “recently received funding through a Community Project/Congressionally Directed Spending Grant (1CE1HS52209-01-00)” a statement from the university wrote.
“The grant will allow for enhancements to the space, including the addition of ADA-accessible doorways and movable clinical equipment for community health services, including additional personal training equipment to expand capacity” continued the statement.
“Supporting a healthy community is a top priority of mine and I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to St. Xavier University to learn from staff and students about their Health and Wellness Corridor Initiative,” said Casten. “This will not only expand the center’s offerings and programs for Chicago’s southwest side and surrounding suburbs, but will provide invaluable hands-on learning opportunities for students.”
The CHW serves both members of the university community and members of the surrounding community, and the enhancement of it will provide both groups with “comprehensive health and wellness services to support mental and physical well-being, and the enhanced space will offer hands-on learning and clinical opportunities for SXU’s nursing and exercise science students” the statement also wrote.
Upon his arrival, members of the administration and those in charge of the areas of the university impacted by the grant “discussed the great growth of the health center over the years in addressing the SXU Community health needs along with the outreach into the surrounding community to keep our clients well” stated Interim Dean of the College of Nursing, Health Sciences, and Business, Charlene Bermele, DNP, RN, CNE.
The tour began in the Health Center, where Director of Clinical Services Kathryn Schlee showed Casten the blood drawing space, the refrigerator that stores vaccines, the breakroom, the exam rooms, and the front office.
Schlee noted that the Health Center gets very busy in the summertime, with the influx of children coming in to receive their physical exams for the school year.
The Health Center relocated to the Driehaus Center in July of 2018 and was described to Casten as “small but mighty”.
The tour continued next door to the Exercise Science classroom, where the Interim Divisional Director of the Health Sciences Division Brad Leshinske, Ph.D., showed Casten how Exercise Science students use the equipment in the classroom.
Students demonstrated their use of a force plate, which detects and measures the forces produced during physical exercise, and how they use and interpret the data from the tests.
Leshinske emphasized that the classroom is designed for a “hands on experience”.
The Exercise Science program has grown from 18 to 200 students in the last two years, Leshisnke told Casten.
The grant will purchase equipment that will be housed in the CHW, including “two more treadmills, a second VO2 analyzer, a grip strength testing kit, a physiology kit, and body fat testing equipment”, voiced Leshinske in a follow-up.
“This equipment will be used in various ways; first our students within the exercise science program will learn the theory and application of these technologies within their major coursework, secondly those who are coming to the CHW will be evaluated using the equipment and other current equipment housed in the CHW” he continued.
Assistant Professor Gregg Mallet, Ph.D., discussed his cycling performance analysis study with Casten.
The study consists of three visits to the Health Center, each after the passing of a 48-hour window of time, with the first visit serving to familiarize the subject with the requirements and the following two to administer the trial tests.
Mallet told Casten that the cycling performance analysis had three stages to it, all being three minutes in length. The first stage being the warm-up, followed by the exertion portion, and rounded out by the cool-down period.
“The public will use the space by appointment only with our student workers who will be personal trainers. The trainers will be students within the exercise science program in their final year. They will be onboarded by the faculty of the exercise science program” Leshinske continued.
Casten was then directed towards the Ludden Speech Clinic behind Pacelli Hall. Here, Director of Clinical Education Lisa Osier, M.S., discussed the equipment used in the clinic and the services the clinic provides with Casten.
One of the devices Osier discussed was an Augmentative and Alternative Communication(AAC) device, which is a device that uses all forms of communication other than oral speech such as manual signs.
The clinic also has a sensory board for stimulation purposes.
Osier then showed Casten the two way mirrors that supervisors use to observe and supervise student sessions with patients.
The Ludden Speech Clinic serves about 220 patients each week, Osier told Casten, emphasizing that the clinic was well known to the local area and that there is a significant waitlist.
According to Osier, students from up to 25 miles away from the campus come to the clinic. The clinic also has long term clients, who have moved from rehabilitation, to one on one sessions or even, groups of five to six patients with similar diagnoses to work with.
Casten’s tour concluded in the Nursing wing, where he was shown the program’s SILC.
The first lab, the home setting, serves to teach students about safety in the home.
Bermele stated that the goal of the program was to make students generalists, meaning that a student can provide care across all focuses and environments.
Casten was shown the program’s dummies, where it was noted that the university has a technician who does what they can to make the dummies last as they are expensive to replace.
“We are incredibly grateful to Representative Casten’s advocacy in supporting SXU’s Health and Wellness Corridor Initiative, for which we have received funding through a funded Community Project/Congressionally Directed Spending grant. The funds from the grant awarded have already been identified and approved to enhance the environment of the wellness corridor (Health Center and the Health & Wellness Center) through improvements in remodeling and equipment purchases” finished Bermele.
Leshinske added that “The goal is to have the CHW open by the end of November”.