MCS health program honored by St. Jude | Health

The Memphis City Schools HIV Prevention Project has been honored and recognized by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital’s SMILE and Link-To-Care Partnerships. SMILE is an acronym for Strategic Multisite Initiative for the Identification, Linkage and Engagement in Care of Youth with Undiagnosed HIV Infections. Under the guidance of MCS Exceptional Children and Health Services and project coordinators Sudie Cushman and Susan Lee, the HIV Prevention Project has been honored for its work throughout middle and high schools, as well as the city of Memphis.

Launched in 2003, the HIV Prevention Project provides district-wide professional development opportunities for MCS teachers and counselors. This project is funded through a competitive grant received from the Center of Disease Control. This program works to reduce disparities among populations of youth affected by HIV through various community outreach programs including HIV testing.

MCS HIV Prevention coordinators, Cushman and Lee, currently serve on St. Jude’s Connect 2 Protect Coalition, a collaborative of community organizations focused on HIV prevention. Through their work, MCS students have an expanded knowledge of the disease when they leave the classroom and enter the community.

Information provided Memphis City Schools.