By Jamie Lasorsa
Monty Tech High School Seniors, Reilly Laitala of Sterling, and Sophia Howard of Barre, have watched how the past 2 years of living through a pandemic has affected not only their personal lives and schooling, but also the health care industry.
Both Laitala and Howard are students in the Health Occupations program at Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School in Fitchburg, as well as National Honor Society students. The National Honor Society is a nationwide organization for high school students. Selection takes place junior year and is based on four criteria: scholarship, leadership, service, and character. Students must have a B+ average, go through an application process, and are then chosen by a committee based on these criteria.
Both girls are also officers within the organization, Ms. Laitala is the Secretary, and Ms. Howard is the Historian, which brings on extra responsibilities during the bi-weekly meetings.
As part of their Health Occupations program, both girls have been participating in a co-op opportunity with Heywood Hospital in Gardner since October. They have been serving as Medical Assistants within the doctor’s offices. Duties include taking vitals, doing intake, and assisting the doctors with whatever they may need. This has given them much welcomed direct clinical experience and a front-line view of how COVID has stressed medical facilities.
Although typically National Honor Society members are required to complete at least one community project per year, due to Covid, the girls’ junior year was completed as a hybrid-scenario and no community projects were being completed. Therefore, they wanted this year’s project to be meaningful and they were really looking for impactful ways to help their communities. So, they teamed up to facilitate a community service project that would incorporate both their Health Occupation experience, as well as serving as a project for their National Honor Society requirements.
Seeing firsthand the growing blood shortage and the roadblocks that the pandemic set for blood drives and donors, the girls thought this area was the perfect opportunity to have influence. Over the past two years, there has been an increasing blood shortage due to restrictions keeping the public from being able to safely gather in larger numbers. Staffing shortages, lockdowns, and just a general caution of gathering in public spaces has created a critical need for blood donations.
Reilly and Sophia turned to their National Honor Society advisor, as well as the school principal and inquired about doing a blood drive to try to help alleviate some of the blood shortage in the area. The girls said that everyone has been incredibly supportive and accommodating.
Teaming up with Mass General Hospital, a self-sufficient “Blood Mobile” will arrive at Monty Tech on Saturday, May 14th to start assisting donors at 8:30am. Still adhering to protocols, you must sign up ahead for a time slot, by going to their website: http://bit.ly/MGHMonty or scanning the QR code located on the event flyer.
Both girls expressed that their direct experience during this historic time in healthcare has been very eye-opening and thus inspired them to help their community fulfill this critical need. They have been working hard to get the word out about their event and hope to have an amazing turn-out.
As for their plans after High School, both girls will graduate from Monty Tech with credentials as Certified Medical Assistants, as well as Certified Nursing Assistants, however both also have plans to attend secondary education facilities.
Reilly is planning to attend Norwich University, a private military academy, located in Northfield, VT as a Nursing major and Sophia is planning to attend Springfield College, a private college located in Springfield, MA, as a Health Science major before continuing onto further education to be a Physician’s Assistant.
If you are able, please show these young ladies your support by following the link and signing up to donate blood on May 14th, we would love to see you there!