HSHS St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital issued the following announcement on June 18.
A Poverty Simulation Event will be conducted by the University of Illinois Extension in partnership with HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital and the 4th Judicial Circuit Juvenile Justice Council. This simulation experience aims to promote poverty awareness and increases understanding in our community.
The event will be held on Wednesday, August 8 at the hospital’s auditorium in the St. Anthony Room.
Registration begins at 9 a.m. with the event held from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Pre-registration is required by Wednesday, August 1, and there is a $10 registration fee. Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are available for licensed clinical social workers (LCSW), licensed social workers (LSW), licensed clinical professional counselors (LCPC), licensed professional counselors (LPC), nursing staff, and professional development for educators.
Poverty creates barriers to access including health services, healthy food, and other necessities that contribute to poor health status. According to the most recent Community Health Needs Assessment, 38 percent of children in Effingham and Jasper counties are living in households with income below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). When Effingham and Jasper households were asked how often in the past 12 months they were worried or stressed about having enough money to pay their rent or mortgage, 14.9 percent indicated they were usually or always concerned, while 22.6 percent were sometimes concerned.
Through this activity, participants will gain a greater understanding of challenges faced by those in need. Participants experience poverty in a unique role-playing exercise that illustrates the daily challenges faced by individuals living with limited resources and an abundance of stress. In the poverty simulation, your assigned experience might be to go to work, take care of your family, grocery shop, buy clothing and look for resources to keep your family afloat for a month. This experience lasts approximately three hours and includes an introduction and briefing, the actual simulation exercise, and a debriefing period at the end of the simulation.
For more information regarding this program, contact Libby Moeller, Juvenile Justice Council Coordinator, at (217) 347-7931 or jjc@co.effingham.il.us or visit the Events & Classes web page on St. Anthony’s web site at stanthonyshospital.org.
Original source can be found here.
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