Slipping on a child-size hospital gown and wrapping a small toy stethoscope around his neck, the boy inspected his new look. He also wore a clipped-on medical ID card complete with his name and picture. Suddenly, the elementary student looked like a medical professional.

It was all part of a special program bringing District 75 Latino families together for a series of four educational events in April hosted by the Illinois Chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN).

“Families might not always have access to this information or been exposed to such information,” said Lilliana Trespalacios, a nurse with the Illinois Chapter of NAHN. “We also want to set the example of Latinos working in healthcare.”

The program was made available through a $10,000 Fuel 2 Flourish grant received by Illinois’ Chapter of NAHN. The purpose of the grant is to expose more Hispanic children and their families to the field of nursing and to educate them on better healthy living choices.

 “It’s bringing a new conversation that usually isn’t held in school settings,” Trespalacios said. “How can we maintain health? How can we, as parents, adapt our lifestyle to fit our kids’ needs?

“We also wanted to speak to them in their native language to make sure the messages are being heard by both parents and kids. A lot of these kids are often translating for their parents.” 

She was grateful for the opportunity to expand the chapter’s reach beyond its typical target area of Chicago.

“The association is heavily centered in Chicago and the south side,” she said. “I wanted to bring it to Mundelein because we don’t have this resource here.”

The events were held at D75 schools. Most students were from Mechanics Grove and Washington, although a few from Carl Sandburg also attended with their families. Each one had a specific focus: Movement (yoga); Mental Health Well-Being; Nutrition and Lifestyle; and Introduction to Nursing.

About three to four dozen people attended the events and were given take-away gifts including yoga mats, a backpack filled with tupperware and a book with nutrition tips. They were also given healthy and fun foods including infused water bottles with fruit, a mason jar with oats and recipe cards, and healthy juices served in medical IV bags.

The nurses talked to families about how kids would process feelings (mental health wellness), how to modify popular foods to make a healthy plate (nutrition/lifestyle), and how children can look forward to various careers in healthcare.

“We wanted to show them that nursing is something they can achieve; it is attainable. We also wanted to provide them with resources so they can look into healthcare as a career choice,” Trespalacios said.