University of Maryland Medical System Debuts Health Care Learning Storefront at Junior Achievement of Central Maryland’s JA Finance Park

The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) on Monday celebrated its new learning storefront at Junior Achievement of Central Maryland's JA Finance Park, located in their Youth Workforce and Innovation Center. The System's storefront focuses on bringing awareness of wellness and self-care to middle and high school students and how these topics impact one's financial well-being. The design also highlights the wide range of job opportunities within a health system, even beyond clinical positions, and illustrates how UMMS is dedicated to serving as Maryland's champion in health care.

"Our storefront illustrates the importance of investing in self-care and why this should be an area of focus for students now as young people and later as adults," said Mohan Suntha, MD, MBA, the System's President and Chief Executive Officer. "As an anchor institution dedicated to improving the health and wellness of Marylanders across the state, we know that our efforts must extend beyond the doors of our hospitals."

In addition to Dr. Suntha, other UMMS leaders on hand for the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new space and partnership with Junior Achievement included Thomas Smyth, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of UM St. Joseph Medical Center; Diane Croghan, Vice President of Community Engagement at UM Baltimore Washington Medical Center and Rebecca Altman, RN, MBA, Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of University of Maryland Medical Center Midtown Campus. Also joining were Sen. Charles E. Sydnor, III (District 44), Del. Aletheia McCaskill (District 44B) and Brooke Evans Jordan (Constituent Services Liaison) representing Del. Cheryl Pasteur (District 11A). The Youth Workforce and Innovation Center/JA Finance Park is located at 1725 Twin Springs Rd. (ZIP code 21227) in Baltimore County's Halethorpe community.

Several fifth-grade students from The Mount Washington School (Baltimore City Public Schools system) visiting JA Biz Town today were present for the ribbon cutting which provided them a first-hand look at the benefits and significance of community partnerships. UMMS team members also served as volunteers for the day.

As part of the System's sponsorship, UMMS constructed a storefront space that represents health care and serves as a learning space for students in Finance Park. Per the curriculum provided by JA, it illustrates the importance of investing in self-care, including the different types and why it should be an area of focus for students now, and later on as adults. Recognizing that the Junior Achievement Youth Workforce and Innovation Center provides programming for high school and middle school students looking into early career paths, UMMS included a career wall that speaks to the wide variety of job opportunities available at UMMS.

"We are proud to have invested in Junior Achievement Central Maryland's Finance Park program and proud to support organizations that are coordinated and aligned with our values, knowing it further demonstrates our commitment to the communities we serve," Dr. Suntha said.

The UMMS partnership with Junior Achievement of Central Maryland also provides engagement opportunities like volunteer programs and mentor activities, job shadowing and networking events such as their annual JA Leading Ladies conference connecting local businesswomen with female high school students.

"The goal of the JA Finance Park program is to expose students to the alignment between financial capability and the world of work while at the same time building confidence and interpersonal skills," said Paul Kappel, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer of Junior Achievement of Central Maryland. "Students that participate in Junior Achievement, with partners such as the University of Maryland Medical System, see themselves as future leaders in a way they may not have experienced before. The new UMMS storefront shows the intersection of personal and financial wellness in a way that students may not have been able to explore. Almost 10,000 students a year will be able to participate in this opportunity and we couldn't do it without partners like UMMS."

Students visiting JA Finance Park will take on a life scenario and provided an avatar with a career, salary, credit score, debt, a family and financial obligations. They will learn about income, saving, investing, risk management, debit, credit, budgeting and health and wellness.

The UMMS storefront includes self-care tips such as:

• The importance of taking time to do things that help an individual live well and improve both their physical and mental health
• How to manage stress, lower risk of illness and increase energy

Self-care questions that students are tasked with considering include:

• What do you do to care for yourself and your well-being?
• Do your self-care methods have associated costs?
• Do you pay for them yourself or does a parent/guardian pay?
• How do you expect this might change as an adult?