Larkin Health Sciences Institute is proposing the development of a state of the art, world class Charter Middle School for the Health Sciences to be located on the 48 acre future site of their medical and health sciences campus in Naranja, FL. An application for the charter school was submitted to Dade County Public Schools on August 3rd, 2015 for approval. The Institute is hosting two town hall meetings to provide parents, students and families with information on enrollment opportunities in this exciting new middle school on September 1st and 21st at 6:00 PM at the Naranja Lakes Community Center at 27555 SW 140th Avenue, Miami, FL 33032.
The proposed school will prepare 6-8th grade students for success in high school, college, and careers in the medical and health care industry through an academically rigorous, personalized, and supportive program grounded in the health sciences. The middle school will be located on the campus of the planned Larkin Health Sciences Institute, which will include a College of Pharmacy, College of Osteopathic Medicine, and College of Dentistry. The existing Larkin School of Nursing, College of Biomedical Sciences, and College of Health Sciences will also relocate to the campus in the future. Campus amenities will include college student housing, a library/media center, 100,000 square feet of medical/professional office space, and related support buildings.
The Larkin Charter Middle School of Health Sciences offers a unique opportunity for students to explore and learn about occupations available in the health sciences. The school will integrate the middle school students into their existing mentorship programs connecting faculty, physicians/pharmacists, staff, residents, nurses, and health sciences college students. As Larkin Community Hospital quickly becomes a health system, field trips to the hospital, assisted living facilities, imaging centers, behavioral health, and rehabilitation facilities will show first-hand what these health careers entail. These hands-on experiences will provide a better understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of the healthcare field.
“This interdisciplinary collaboration is the hallmark of the future of health care,” says Jack J. Michel, President of Larkin Community Hospital. “ This will be the only program of its kind in the United States, allowing individuals very early in their education to develop the skills and more importantly the inspiration to enter the health care field.”
The Larkin Health Sciences Institute team is inviting parents, students, and community members to attend an open town hall meeting to learn how the charter school will prepare students for high school, college, and careers in the expanding medical and health sciences industry. There will be no tuition fees for students to attend the school. Interested parents can also visit www.ularkin.org/charterschool/ to sign an online petition in support of the school.
About Larkin Community Hospital which is located at 7031 SW 62 Ave in South Miami is one of 12 designated statutory teaching hospitals in Florida. We offer the largest number of training programs for Osteopathic Physicians in the United States (offering training in more than 30 different specialties). We sponsor an allopathic residency program in Psychiatry, an Advanced Education in General Dentistry Residency Program, an American Society of Health System Pharmacists Accredited Pharmacy Residency Program and a Podiatric Medicine and Surgery Residency Program. In addition, our School of Nursing offers a Registered Nurse Associate Degree program and our College of Biomedical Sciences offers a Post-Baccalaureate Biomedical Sciences Degree program. For more information about Larkin Community Hospital, visit www.larkinhospital.com.
