The Current Online

by Emily Ellsworth

Amidst the carefree flying of kites on April 20, there was a serious undertone to one of the booths marked “Bone Marrow Drive.”.This booth, run by MCC Allied Health Club members, was set up to register visitors to be bone marrow donors. In honor of the Murry brothers, who all need bone marrow transplants, booths have been set up throughout the Midwest to increase awareness about bone marrow and find donors. The booth registered 82 people on Wed. and 152 people on Sat. vice-president for the Allied Health Club, Amanda Sandor said.

The Allied Health Club members were also spreading information about how bone marrow can be donated.

“Many people think that they have to get a spinal tap or something, which is not the case. Bone marrow has a very negative connotation, so we are out here trying to remedy that,” Sandor said. [...]

by Travis Leader

For nursing students at Metropolitan Community College, the Penn Valley campus is the very height of achievement. Regarded by many in the Kansas City area as a paramount of excellence due to its nursing program, a degree from the institution is seen as a major step on the road to success, and is thus desired by a majority of students making their way toward a career in the health industry.

This desire is especially prevalent in the Allied Health Club, a student organization on the Longview campus. Catering to those who wish to obtain careers in the allied health field—characterized by accessorial and auxiliary positions in medical care—the Allied Health Club is dominated by nursing hopefuls who dream of one day acquiring the education and materials necessary to achieve their vision. [...]

by Travis Leader

Amanda Sandor is excited. The second-year Longview student, who has worked as a medical office specialist at Lee’s Summit Medical Center for the past seven years, has just been elected vice president of the Allied Health Club. Sandor hopes the club will help her gain the knowledge and resources necessary to achieve her dream of becoming a registered nurse.

The Allied Health Club, originally founded by Longview biology instructor Steve Reinbold, is designed to connect students interested in careers in health with healthcare professionals and students with similar aspirations. Now headed by Longview biology instructor Lavon Tonga, the club aspires to make a resurgence on campus.

“Over the years, the club fell by the wayside,” says Tonga. “What we’re hoping to do is to rejuvenate it so we can help students with their goals of achieving a career in the health industry.”

Tonga, who began directing the organization in December 2012, says that when she took on the position of club adviser, all of the members who joined were from her microbiology classes, and all have since graduated. When the new semester came, she had to start from scratch.

Since the beginning of the semester, Tonga has spread the word about the club to everyone in all her general biology classes, including newly appointed public relations representative and nursing student Andrew Stubbings. [...]

by Tiffany Ellis

College students are notorious for pulling all-nighters. Juggling school, work, family and a busier than ever social life simply don’t leave enough hours in the day to sleep. Unfortunately, slurping another enormous non-fat, double shot, iced mocha may not be enough. [...]

by Liz Harmon

The holidays have officially arrived, and so have this year’s flu and cold viruses. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have prepared a vaccination for 2011-2012 that is identical to the one used last year. How effective is the vaccine and what should a consumer consider before getting the shot? [...]