Simulated medical center in Colorado gets a makeover

More than 12,000 Colorado elementary school students will see something new at one of their favorite field trip destinations, thanks in part to Kaiser Permanente.

Young AmeriTowne is the flagship program of the Young Americans Center for Financial Education, a nonprofit that provides hands-on education to young people. For several weeks before the field trip, kids learn about money and how to work assigned jobs.

At the end of the unit, students spend a day running a model town called Young AmeriTowne at the center’s Denver or Belmar (Lakewood) location.

Students earn money working at the bank, radio station, medical center, and other job sites. They then learn how to keep track of their budget as they spend around town.

How Kaiser Permanente supports the program

As part of a new 3-year sponsorship, Kaiser Permanente refreshed the medical center at Young AmeriTowne in Belmar in spring 2026. We donated wall graphics, signage, and gently used, kid-friendly medical equipment to make the space look and feel like a real Kaiser Permanente medical facility.

The medical center’s “doctors” even get to wear their own Kaiser Permanente white coats.

“In the medical center, our students will be diagnosed with illnesses,” said Amanda Krische, vice president of programs at the Young Americans Center for Financial Education. “They get instructions on how they can feel better so they can help keep the town running smoothly.”

Why financial skills matter for health

While it’s fun to see kids caring for their peers’ health for a day, Amity Onders, MD, medical director of Kaiser Permanente’s Lakewood Medical Offices, said there’s a much bigger reason to support the medical center.

“Young AmeriTowne teaches things like financial literacy,” she said. “People who are able to manage their finances are able to buy healthy foods, they’re able to afford safe, stable housing, and they’re able to afford their prescriptions so they can maintain their health.”

Supporting the health of the community, said Dr. Onders, is an important part of our mission at Kaiser Permanente.

“Thank you, Kaiser Permanente, for coming and supporting us,” said Krische. “It makes a big impact.”