National School-Based Health Care Convention

How was your Convention Social Media Experience?

2011-07-08T11:34:00.000-07:00

Let us know how we did with social media at the 2011 Convention! If you attended in Chicago, take this 5 minute survey: http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22CP2NEXQRR/

If you didn't attend in person, please complete this survey: http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22CP2PBXRBF/

Convention Update from Linda Lam

2011-06-30T07:59:00.000-07:00

How do we create a work environment that helps new staff at SBHC swim and not sink? Does this sound familiar to you and your organization - new staff orientation consist of attending a full day of lecture after lecture or given a 4 inch binder to read? Attending the “Creating a SBHC Welcome Wagon: Integrating New Staff into School Health” at the NASBHC convention was an interactive session that helped participants like me continue to build a better orientation and on-boarding for new staff. We know how important the work we do at SBHCs are and we need more people to join this movement and stay in it.

As the workshop presenters discussed, we are so eager and in need of the new staff to start in the health center right away that sometimes we breeze through the orientation and training. It’s challenging for new staff since they have to learn about the workings of the sponsoring organization and the school system! The presenters guided participants through activities where we discussed our own goals and objectives for SBHC orientation, breaking down acronyms, creating a School Checklist tour where either new staff can do as a scavenger hunt, guided by another staff or on their own, and evaluation with the new staff to see what else she/he felt was missing. The presenters also discussed incorporating Adult Learning Theory and avoiding the “banking” method of just giving information as Paolo Friere discussed. Other ways to support new staff was providing her/him with a buddy who could show them the ropes in the day to day work and/or a mentor who can show her/him how the organization work upwards.

I hope you get to check out the powerpoint that will be posted on NASBHC’s website! I know I will be definitely be adding some of the aspects discussed to Asian Pacific Health Care Venture’s SBHC orientation!

Linda Lam

Convention Update from Parrish Ravelli

2011-06-29T06:38:00.000-07:00

#Me

One of the things that I have been thinking about at NASBHC is in how our social networks are shifting to be more technological. How these networks are moving online and away from personal interaction. And while we boast our limitless connection to the world around us, we struggle to connect simple resources where they are needed the most. And hashtags, what's up with hashtags?

This symbol that once was the lonely button on the bottom right hand corner of your touch dial phone has lept into stardom and now is the corner stone of wit, underlining sentences, comments, status updates with a subtle piece of whit that gets at the reality of what you really want to say. #lookatmenow!

I wonder, if we all were required to label ourselves, our groups, our crew with hashtags, what would they say. I might want to simply brand what we represent #schoolbasedhealthcenters or the national group that connects us all #nasbhc. But really, there is so much more that I have seen here in Chicago. I hear people talking about "battle scars" taken from fighting for minor consent laws and smiling at all that the past years have brought in healthcare reform. When I see leaders in the health community finding common ground with the education community and, more than that, understanding that silos cannot exist if we are to succeed. I have felt the energy from youth coming together from all over the country to say #wedeserveaccesstocare.

The truth, I think, is that while our networks are continuing to be facilitated online, they are not defined by this. Our social networks are inclusive of anyone who is willing to challenge systems that create health care disparities. So to that I say:

#strengthinnumbers

Parrish Ravelli

Convention Update from Lauren Mosely

2011-06-28T20:02:00.000-07:00

Today was a true eye-opener! I was introduced to an agency that has inspired me to reach out to the youth of my hometown of Huntsville, Alabama. Youth Empowered Solutions (YES!) is a nonprofit organization that empowers youth, in partnership with adults, to create community change. They equip high school aged youth and their adult allies with the tools necessary to take a stand in their communities and create change that will positively impact adolescent health.

This energetic and inspiring session celebrated the fact that children really are our future, and they can be the best advocates for school-based health centers! In an interactive presentation, with the youth and program director of YES!, we uncovered the importance of giving youth a deeper level of understanding about current important issues that impact our society like access to health care. Are we giving them the skills and resources to get involved? Do they have a platform to do so? Youth Empowered Solutions (YES!) is not just a philosophy – it’s a movement, and they are working with youth who are ready to learn and take proactive steps in their community to make a difference.

I am motivated now more than ever to involve the youth of Huntsville/Madison County to become advocates for school-based health centers like our very own -- HEALS, Inc.!

Lauren Mosely

NASBHC's Youth Track Visits Uplift Community High School

2011-06-28T14:07:00.000-07:00

The Youth Track at this year's Convention toured the school-based health center at Uplift Community High School to learn about the services offered to students of Uplift and the community. Check out these photos from their visit:

Workshop: B6 - Collaborative Management of Concussions in Adolescent Athletes in a Maine SBHC

2011-06-26T11:13:00.000-07:00

This workshop will be held on Monday, June 27th from 1:30pm to 2:45pm in Ballroom F/G.

In my session titled “Collaborative Management of Concussions in Adolescent Athletes in a Maine SBHC” I will share how our program has evolved. Concussion management is getting a lot of “press” but is still a very contentious issue with some coaches, parents, and athletes. I have attended two conferences where national leaders have presented the latest research on concussion management and current studies on the effects of repetitive concussions and the development of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) which I will share in this presentation. The data is quite overwhelming regarding long term prognosis. When dealing with athletes who are not going to make a living playing professional sports, it is challenging to get the athlete and the parent to understand the risk of multiple concussions. Our program is very fortunate that we had an athletic trainer who is very knowledgeable about concussion management who paved the way by introducing the use of HeadMinder several years ago and doing yearly baseline studies on the athletes. We have a school nurse who is very involved; we co-manage the athletes. Our Athletic Director is very supportive as well. The key to our collaboration is communication and I will share how we accomplish this as well as our challenges. Over the past year we have continued to “tweak” our program according to the current recommended guidelines and research. As the nurse practitioner for our SBHC, I do a lot of sports medicine. Concussion is an area that I am passionate about and I am anxious to share our program and current knowledge with other SBHC’s.

See you in Chicago!

Debra Nichols, RN, BSN, MN
Oxford Hills School-Based Health Center

Workshop: F5 - Does Your School Board Need a Sex-Ed Revolution? Does Your School Board Need a Sex-Ed Revolution?

2011-06-26T09:10:00.000-07:00

This workshop will take place on Tuesday, June 28th from 3:15pm to 4:30pm in Ballroom B.

Do you want to change your sex education school board policy?

Do you wonder if others have been successful in changing policy in communities that don’t address adolescent sexuality in schools? It can be done! Come learn our approach and leave with tools to make your campaign a reality. We may be focusing on sexual health education, but you can apply these techniques for any type of campaign!
We will share success stories and provide details of our approaches to get young people engaged at high levels of systems change. You will hear our lessons learned, so you don’t make similar mistakes in your campaign work. This is a brief examination of how organizations can collaboratively engage youth and adult partners to change local school board policy. Participants will be able to identify their stage within the phased in model developed by Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health.
You will go through a short examination of where your organization can align with other established schools and community partners to do similar work within your own areas and identify your status within ICAH’s phased in model for school board policy change.

You will see that some of the principals are similar within rural, suburban, and urban school communities.

Then learn the steps needed to turn your policy into action by learning about the Implementation process and steps to consider for monitoring to ensure a sustainable program is meeting the changed policy!

Take a few minutes to watch our video!

NASBHC would like to Thank...

2011-06-26T07:59:00.000-07:00

Thank You to this year’s Sponsors and Exhibitors

We want to express our sincere gratitude to NASBHC’s 2011 Annual Convention sponsors: JP Morgan Chase, the California Endowment, the Polk Bros Foundation, and CVS Caremark Workforce Initiatives, who is sponsoring live streaming and social media at the Convention.

We’d also like to thank this year’s exhibitors. Be sure to stop by their booths and talk to their representatives – they’ll be presenting a wealth of information.

2011 Convention Exhibitors include:

Alliance Practice and Data Management
American Academy of Pediatrics
Armor Mobile Systems
ASCD Healthy School Communities
Asceptico
ASU College of Nursing and Health Innovation
Coalition for Community Schools
Crosstex International
DNTLworks Equipment Corporation
GlaxoSmithKline, Inc.
Global Media Group
Henry Schein, Inc.
MacGill Discount Medical and School Nurse Supplies
Merck & Co., Inc.
Moore Medical
National Assembly on School-Based Health Care (NASBHC)
National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners
National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center
Novartis Vaccines
Sanofi Pasteur
School Health Corporation
School Nurse Supply
Smile Programs . . . the mobile dentists
Welch Allyn Inc.

Workshop: E4 - Medical Assistants: The Different Hats They Wear and How They Can Impact Efficiency

2011-06-25T13:10:00.000-07:00

This workshop will be held on Tuesday, June 28th from 11:15am to 12:30pm in Houston/Kansas.

Would you like to explore various models of health care delivery for your School-based clinic? Would you like to view how productivity can increase by changing the model? Are your immunization rates not quite at the level you want them? Attend the session on Medical Assistants, the Different Hats They Wear to possibly answer some of these questions. An overview of the education, knowledge, and skills of a Medical Assistant will be discussed. The varying roles that a Medical Assistant can have in a school-based clinic will be presented along with the outcomes of this expanded role. Improvement in staff satisfaction for both the Medical Assistant and the care provider was noted. Active participation will be encouraged to facilitate networking and discovering how others have utilized the Medical Assistant in their SBHC.

Wanda Marshall, MS, CPNP
Program Manager, DSBHC

Workshop: E3 - Red Flags: An Adolescent Mental Health Awareness Program

2011-06-25T12:07:00.000-07:00

This workshop will be held on Tuesday, June 28th from 11:15am to 12:30pm in Los Angeles/Miami.

Red Flags is a middle school based depression awareness and intervention program involving the entire school community. The program consists of three components, and is built around the short film “Thick ‘n Thin”. Red Flags is simple to implement, reduces stigma, improves school climate, low cost and proven effective at any level of implementation.

I am excited to be able to present this middle school program at the NASBHC Conference. My hope is to bring a sense of excitement about implementing this program not just in Ohio, but throughout the country. (Schools in several states - Florida, Michigan, and Oregon, to name a few - have already jumped on board utilizing this program.)

Everywhere I take Red Flags; it seems that everyone has a story. Many adults will often relay memories of loneliness, sadness, bullying and more, from their youth. Likewise, many students I’ve met seem to be waiting and wanting a listening ear to share their struggle with sometimes baffling emotions and circumstances and, perhaps, even feelings that there’s no way out. Musician and Entertainer, Lady Gaga, remains very open about the battle throughout her teenage years, having been consistently picked on about her looks. The message she tries to convey to all of her fans is one of overcoming: “We must be brave; follow our dreams.”

We’ve identified that there is a definite need for more awareness about adolescent depression and how to intervene. Now we have an easy solution – The Red Flags Program! The curriculums short film, “Thick ‘n Thin”, highlights a period in the life of Katie, a middle school student, who spirals downward into depression and begins thinking of suicide. Her friend, Jamal, relates the story of Katie’s struggle with depression. When he finally recognizes the symptoms of depression, and seeks help for her, he jeopardizes the bonds of their friendship. Confused, and sometimes offended by her behavior as she becomes more and more depressed, he nevertheless stands by her, eventually saving her life when she is contemplating suicide.

I believe that the greatest thing about this particular film is that every student will be able to identify with some part of it. It may cause them to consider a friend, a family member, or even themselves. This curriculum has been proven to help kids better understand what depression is and how it affects absolutely everyone around them.

Implementing Red Flags in your community is an opportunity that can be life changing for many kids. This program will raise awareness by demonstrating that there is somewhere to go; there is someone to turn to; there are answers; there is help.

Check out a small taste of our film!

Kristen Robinson, CHES
Associate Director/Program Coordinator
Mental Health America of Summit County

Workshop: E1 - Community Schools: A Strategy, Not a Program

2011-06-25T10:04:00.000-07:00

This workshop will be held on Tuesday, June 28th from 11:15am to 12:30pm in Ballroom F.

Community Schools are a research-based and results-oriented strategy for organizing community resources around student success. School-based health centers are an integral part of many community schools; health professionals across the country have found these schools to be one of the most effective ways to provide preventive health care.

For many underserved children, school-based health centers are their first and only access to health care. This proactive approach prevents health issues from becoming acute concerns in the home, emergency room or community. As a result, youngsters miss fewer school days and parents miss fewer days at work.

In his study, Healthier Students Are Better Learners: A Missing Link in Efforts to Close the Achievement Gap, Charles Basch, Professor of Health Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, argues that ”Despite compelling evidence linking health and academic achievement, there is no U.S. Department of Education initiative to reduce educationally relevant health disparities as part of a national strategy to close the achievement gap.”

Thankfully this statement has the potential to be reversed. President Obama has praised the collaboration between the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services in trying to address this issue. U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan publicly agree that collaboration is imperative and that schools are the natural vehicles for aligning resources to get American youth and children ready for productive, healthy and fulfilling lives.

Community schools have an important role to play that both Secretaries recognize: “Making every school a community school — that’s got to be our collective vision,” said Secretary Duncan at a CAS Practicum in 2009; Secretary Sebelius echoed Duncan, at the Coalition for Community Schools conference in April 2010, when she noted that “Community schools are the vehicle for building partnerships between education and health institutions that touch the lives of children and youth. I can’t think of a better way to deliver primary care and preventative care to students and their families than through school-based clinics."

On Tuesday June 28, Adria Cruz, School Health Services Manager at CAS, and I will be introducing the theory and practice of community schools as a strategy for organizing a community’s resources around student success – with a focus on the role of school-based health centers as an essential support.

Please visit: http://www.childrensaidsociety.org and http://nationalcenterforcommunityschools.childrensaidsociety.org/

Jane Quinn
Vice-President for Community Schools and Director National Center for Community Schools
The Children’s Aid Society (CAS)

Workshop: E2 - A Collaborative Approach to Sexually Transmitted Disease Detection in School-Based Settings

2011-06-25T08:21:00.000-07:00

This workshop will be held on Tuesday, June 28th from 11:15am to 12:30pm in Ballroom G.

I will be presenting some interesting findings on a great collaboration project here in Illinois. The abstract is entitled, “A Collaborative Approach to Sexually Transmitted Disease Detection in School Based Settings.” It deals with increasing chlamydia screening at Illinois school-based health centers (SBHC). The Illinois Department of Public Health, STD Program, the Illinois Department of Human Services, School-Based/Linked Health Program and the Bureau of Community Nursing all wanted to work on this issue, so we set up a conference call with staff from 44 SBHCs and provided some background information and we discussed barriers to screening and ideas on how to increase screening. During the teleconference calls, the SBHC staff came up with some really creative ideas and strategies to increase screening such as advertising STI services around homecoming and prom to increase awareness and also working with gate keepers at the school such as coaches and counselors to advertise STI services at the school. I will be also sharing with you the outcome of this collaborative project, which turned out to be very productive.

Rich Zimmerman BS, MA
STD Counseling and Testing Coordinator
Illinois Department of Human Services

Workshop: D2 - Putting Bright Futures to Work: Measuring and Improving Preventive Services

2011-06-25T06:03:00.000-07:00

This workshop will be held on Tuesday, June 28th from 8:00am to 10:45am in Ballroom B.

I'm excited to be presenting the workshop "Putting Bright Futures to Work: Measuring and Improving Preventive Services" on Tuesday, 6/28 from 8:00-10:45am. It will be a high energy presentation with plenty of time for interaction. Using the new Bright Futures guidelines has improved the way I do health supervision visits - I'm more confident that I have identified important risks. But what I like the most is identifying strengths in my patients - it has really changed the way I view my patients, and has added to my personal satisfaction with my day to day work! Learning how to make these changes in practice, and being able to measure what you have accomplished, is important for me and my patients. Come and learn how to make these changes in YOUR practice setting!

Barb Frankowski, MD
Professor of Pediatrics
University of Vermont

Workshop: D8 - Successful Models for Enrolling and Retaining Children in Medicaid and CHIP through School-Based Health Clinics Part III

2011-06-24T12:32:00.000-07:00

This workshop will be held on Tuesday, June 28th from 8:00am to 10:45am in Ballroom A.

Over the past year and a half, the Colorado Association for School-Based Health Care (CASBHC) has heard many stories about the impact of outreach and enrollment (O&E) for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) at Colorado’s school-based health centers (SBHCs). All of these stories share a similar theme about the power of O&E in ensuring SBHC patients can access comprehensive care, including specialty care, when in need. One story has been on my mind lately. It is about a 6 year old girl who was uninsured when she visited her local SBHC. The on-site SBHC O&E staff person worked with the family to enroll her in Medicaid. During a SBHC visit, a heart murmur was detected. After referrals to a local pediatrician and a pediatric cardiologist, a heart defect requiring surgery was detected. Fortunately, due to her recent Medicaid coverage, the young girl is able to access all the care she needs, including the heart surgery. This SBHC played a critical role in this child’s life. Not only did the provider identify an important health finding, but through O&E they ensured access to comprehensive care within the clinic and beyond. The O&E work at Colorado’s SBHCs has changed many children and families lives. But we have also found that it is changing Colorado’s SBHCs. Through our federal Children Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) O&E grant, CASBHC has been able to increase the capacity for SBHCs to perform O&E on-site. During our grant period, we have seen many SBHCs grow the number of children covered by Medicaid and CHIP, in turn increasing their billable revenue. Ensuring SBHCs implement an effective outreach model is the key to success. During our CHIPRA grant, we have uncovered many lessons learned about effective and efficient O&E at SBHCs and are excited to share this information with SBHCs across the country.

Stacey Moody
Director of Member Services
Colorado Association for School-Based Health Care

Workshop: D8 - Successful Models for Enrolling and Retaining Children in Medicaid and CHIP through School-Based Health Clinics Part II

2011-06-24T11:57:00.000-07:00

This workshop will be held on Tuesday, June 28th from 8:00am to 10:45am in Ballroom A.

Oregon Healthy Kids has conducted a successful campaign to enroll kids and teens in CHIP, Medicaid, and other state funded programs available for uninsured youth up to age 19. The campaign utilizes community partners to reach families and help them enroll as well as standard marketing techniques like print ads, radio, billboards, and social media. In March, we celebrated enrolling an additional 85,000 kids and teens since 2009. At the celebration, we heard one mom’s story that emphasized the difference health insurance can make to family.

A key component of the Healthy Kids outreach, enrollment, and retention campaign are the schools. Our school-based efforts have reached over 560,000 K-12 students in every school district across Oregon. We developed strategies that utilize events and systems already established in the schools, strengthen grassroots relationships between the schools and community partners, and consider the role of every professional and advocate in the school community.

Oregon Healthy Kids was also selected as a pilot state for CMS’s Get Covered. Get in the Game campaign. This opportunity included a visit from US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in August of last year. She was joined by Oregon’s then Governor Kulongoski at a high school in Portland to accept the challenge of helping to enroll 5 million children over the next 5 years into the children's Medicaid and CHIP programs.

Workshop: D8 - Successful Models for Enrolling and Retaining Children in Medicaid and CHIP through School-Based Health Clinics

2011-06-24T08:57:00.000-07:00

This workshop will be held on Tuesday, June 28th from 8:00am to 10:45am in Ballroom A.

America’s students are best equipped to excel when they are healthy -- and staying healthy depends in large measure on whether they have health insurance that covers routine preventive care and medical attention when they are sick or injured. These days, many families are coping with the effects of the economic downturn, which may have meant the loss of a job and the health coverage that went with it. Fortunately, children without health insurance do not have to miss out – eligible children can sign-up for coverage through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). School-based health clinics play a pivotal role in providing students needed health services and they are also natural partners in the national effort to enroll all eligible children in Medicaid and CHIP.

We know that outreach works – especially when it includes targeted efforts to help families enroll their children in Medicaid and CHIP and keep them covered for as long as they qualify. There are many ways that school-based health centers can take the lead by engaging other school staff – including teachers, athletic coaches, guidance counselors and others – and by creating opportunities for families to learn more about the programs and complete applications. Many states have on-line applications and have taken other steps to simplify and streamline the process, making it easier and more effective to incorporate such activities in schools. You can find general materials you can customize and a list of ten A-plus strategies for schools on the US Department of Health and Human Services website, www.insurekidsnow.gov.

On the website, you can also learn more about the Connecting Kids to Coverage Challenge, issued by Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. Over 50 organizations have stepped up to the Challenge and are actively working to find and enroll all eligible children that are eligible for Medicaid and CHIP and we encourage you to join. Come to the session Successful Models for Enrolling and Retaining Children in Medicaid and CHIP through School-Based Health Clinics at 8:00am in Belmont and learn more about the Challenge and how school-based health centers in Oregon and Colorado are contributing to this important effort.

Amy Hennessy, MPH
Technical Director
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Consortium for Medicaid and Children’s Health Operations

Workshop: D4 - SBHC Integration: A Cross-Agency Quality Improvement Collaborative Model

2011-06-24T07:56:00.000-07:00

This workshop will be held on Tuesday, June 28th from 8:00am to 10:45am in Belmont.

Learn how to better integrate your SBHC into the school community using a quality improvement process. Network with other conference participants while exploring new integration concepts, tools, and strategies developed by a collaborative of five Oakland, California SBHCs.

Samantha Blackburn, RN, MSN, PNP
Field and Technical Assistance Director
California School Health Centers Association

Workshop: D7 - North Carolina's Youth Advocacy Toolkit

2011-06-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

This workshop will be held on Tuesday, June 28th from 8:00am to 10:45am in Ballroom H.

Friends, Advocates, Countrymen and women, lend me your ears! No seriously, check it out!

This year, the NC State Association teamed up with Youth Empowered Solutions (YES!) to collaborate on a really unique workshop aimed to help adult and youth leaders alike. It's no secret that engaging youth in school-based health care advocacy work is a major key to success for any local center or even state association, but what does it even mean to engage youth in this work we are so passionate about?

Our session is going to map out the Youth Empowerment Model (The Model) as an evidence-based methodology for engaging youth in creating community change around access to care issues. In North Carolina, the Model is being applied within both statewide and local communities...because let's be honest... you can't simply bring people to the table and expect miracles to happen. You have to create infrastructure, you have to provide a deeper understanding of the issues you are addressing and you have to rethink how you are defining success. Also, you have to have FUN! In Chicago, we are going to unveil our new YES! Youth Engagement Toolkit that is going to help you do just that (mostly have fun).

The adults will explore the value of The Model as, not just, a philosophy, but also an outcomes plan and an organizational infrastructure. Adults will leave with resources to help them facilitate an Access to Care training with TONS of fun and interactive games as well as an evaluation tool that adults can tailor and use to measure impact.

The youth will dig deep down into the field of school-based health care and explore "access to care" as a social justice issue to have a deeper comprehension of the issues they are advocating for as well as get some ideas for some new online and offline advocacy campaigns. All activities done will also be facilitated in a train-the trainer method so that youth participants will leave with the ability and know how to use them within their own community.

As well, we will talk briefly about a brand new organizational assessment tool called the YES! Appraisal. The Appraisal is a tool to help your organization understand its own capacity to engage in youth empowerment as well as create tangible and clear stepping stones for how to more deeply involve youth within the organizational structure.

Parrish Ravelli
Youth Empowerment Solutions (YES!)

***Following the session, the participants will receive an electronic version of the NC Youth Engagement Toolkit to begin using to create community change in their local community! Copies can be requested by emailing Parrish@youthempoweredsolutions.org***

Meet the Social Media Fellows: Kristin Anderson

2011-06-23T13:01:00.000-07:00

I am looking forward to being in Chicago for the NASBHC conference next week. This is my third NASBHC convention and I always leave with new ideas and connections to strengthen our work in California. (Exploring Chicago won’t be too bad either! Be sure to check out Kyle’s blog post on what to see while in the city if you haven’t done so already.)

As the Associate Director of the California School Health Centers Association (CSHC) I am especially looking forward to connecting with the other State Affiliates to hear about their latest challenges and initiatives. I oversee fund development, communications, board engagement and operations for CSHC – and I am always interested in hearing how other organizations are tackling these critical areas.

I loved the social media coverage during last year’s conference in D.C. Seeing workshop highlights being tweeted directly from the sessions, knowing that colleagues were watching key speakers via the internet live streaming and being tagged in Facebook photos taken minutes earlier on the exhibit floor added energy to the event and broadened its reach beyond the hotel walls. I look forward to being a part of the social media team at this year’s conference. I am especially interested in sharing conference highlights with those who are unable to attend and reporting back to California school-health stakeholders about things of special interest to my fellow west-coasters. Watch for my tweets and Facebook posts throughout the event. Better yet, add your own comments to my entries to share your perspectives and highlights. (Visit the social media booth if you want to learn more about how to join in the fun.)

My dream is that someday school-based health centers will be a household concept. Parents will clamor for them right along with other critical school programs and services and students will get the much-needed services they too often have to do without. I have no doubt that expanding our presence through social media will move us closer to this goal. So, watch for my posts – and join in the dialogue. Together we can work toward a future where all children and youth are healthy and achieving at their full potential!

See you in Chicago.

Kristin Andersen
Associate Director
California School Health Centers Association

Workshop: A1 - The Big Tent: Local and State Experiences with Implementation of School Health Services

2011-06-23T12:43:00.000-07:00

This workshop will be held on Monday, June 27th from 9:45am to 11:00am in Ballroom A.

Serena Clayton and I are asking everyone who really wants to be the “Big Tent” to attend our session, A1 - The Big Tent: Local and State Experiences with Implementation of School Health Services. Serena will be talking about what it looks like at a state level and I am going to bring it right down to where the rubber hits the road—the local level. We are going to have fun talking about what it takes to bring more and very different providers to school. In Baton Rouge, in addition to the eleven school-based health centers, I will be talking about everything else that is going on—coordinating the school nurse program which gives us the vision of 45,000 children on 90 different campuses, mobile dental providers seeing students on most of the fifty elementary school campuses, and optometrists who come to school to perform dilated eye exams and bring glasses to kids that need them! In addition to that (and because we work with so many students), I will be discussing the 15-18 MOUs that we have with universities, technical schools, hospitals, the community college, and so on. Our training program for professional students who are learning their craft brought to our service delivery system an additional 1300 days of service that equates to 10,500 hours of time that we have students learning from us and assisting us in service delivery. I’ll be sharing how we work with the community to immunize thousands of students against influenza and bring kids to local dentists who provide oral health education on Give Kids A Smile Day! I hope all of you will be there—bring your energy pills; you’ll need them!

Sue Catchings, CEO
Health Centers in Schools

Workshop: C7 - Using Teen Theater for Youth Engagement

2011-06-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

This workshop will be held on Monday, June 27th from 3:15pm to 4:30pm in Belmont.

Lights! Camera! Action! Come to our workshop "Using Teen Theater for Youth Engagement." (C7) Throughout the presentation, we'll share our experiences and give you a few pointers on how to do teen theater in your setting. Hear about our "lessons learn!" Do fun activities! This interactive workshop will get you started in no time. What are you waiting for? See you there!

Ariella Rubio, Youth Advisory Board member
Marcia Zorrilla, Staff and Adult Ally, Youth Advisory Board

Workshop: C2 - CHIPRA: Demonstrating Quality Health Care via School-Based Health Centers

2011-06-23T11:00:00.000-07:00

This workshop will be held on Monday, June 27th from 3:15pm to 4:30pm in Ballroom B.

Begin with a visionary group of veterans from the SBHC field. Add in a generous helping of passion for healthy kids and adolescents. Mix in providers, administrators, evaluators, and managers from four states and three time zones. Sprinkle in a spirit of collaboration and boundless energy. Finally, add in funding from a CHIPRA demonstration grant and….VOILA! You have the School-based Health Center Improvement Project!

School-based health centers have a unique ability to provide quality, convenient, accessible and youth-focused health care. Yet, few recognize the critical role that SBHCs play in the health care delivery system, particularly in serving children with special health care needs. Recognizing this, a team of experienced SBHC providers and administrators pursued an opportunity to improve upon and showcase amazing work done by SBHCs in Colorado and New Mexico. In 2010, our team was awarded a five-year Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) demonstration grant by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

In this workshop, we will share the trials and triumphs of developing a multi-phase, multi-state demonstration project with SBHCs, the School-based Health Center Improvement Project (SHCIP). Our project aims to highlight the ability of SBHCs to address the health care needs of children and youth and to expand on the understanding of how school-based health centers contribute to the overall health care system.

Specifically, workshop presenters will share our plans for accomplishing our overall Project goals:

1. Improve the quality of care delivered in SBHCs

The primary mechanism for supporting positive change in our partner SBHCs is continuous quality improvement , aimed at improving preventive care and screening for chronic conditions. In the workshop, we’ll share our quality improvement plan, share our new electronic student health questionnaire and talk about how we plan to use technology to engage youth and assist providers.

2. Integrate SBHCs into the medical home approach

Much of what SBHCs are already doing aligns with the medical home approach. Yet, there are still some stumbling blocks to integrating this approach in a consistent manner. Our workshop will include an overview of our plans to help SBHCs understand the medical home approach, assess their current level of “medical home-ness," and increase their readiness to become certified as medical homes.

3. Actively engage youth in their own health care

You can’t improve health outcomes among children and youth without involving them in their own health care. Since youth engagement is so important, we are developing a new survey tool to understand youths’ satisfaction with the care they receive at the SBHC and to measure youths’ health literacy. We call it the Youth Assessment of School Health Involvement -- or YASHI and we are excited to share the purpose, development, and plans for YASHIs implementation with you.

How will we know if we’re successful?

For those of you who love logic models and spreadsheets, we’ll share our plans for evaluating the project across 17 sites in two states. It’s no easy task, but our team members will walk you through the ins and outs of this complex evaluation effort.

Join the conversation!

Our team is excited to share what we’re doing and to learn from you! We hope the workshop will stimulate conversations around the role of SBHCs in the health care delivery system, the fit between SBHCs and the medical home approach, and strategies and successes towards engaging youth as full partners in their health and health care.

Sarah Nickels

Workshop: A3 - Using Yoga in School-Based Health Centers

2011-06-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

This workshop will be held on Monday, June 27th from 9:45am to 11:00am in Ballroom C.

This year, I have the good fortune of presenting a Success Story to the participants (and readers) of the NASBHC national conference. The “story” is really about our delightful social worker, who was already doing expert mental health work with adolescents in Durham, North Carolina. A specialist in therapy for adolescent anxiety, depression, stress-related disorders and substance abuse, Donna was well known to adolescents at our health center where we have worked together for several years. She is skilled in motivational interviewing and anticipatory guidance among teens and is a trusted provider that the adolescents enjoy. Donna was using yoga for her own health and relaxation, and eventually progressed to becoming a certified instructor. Together, she and I began to consider the possibility of using gentle yoga as an effective non-pharmacological tool for teens with anxiety and depression at our SBHC. The clinic had enough space for a class, the students (and their caregivers) were more than willing to try gentle yoga practice in the safe and secure setting of the clinic and the school faculty supported students learning this “life skill” to reduce anxiety during a one-hour session each week. The happy marriage of Donna our skilled mental health provider/yogi and the SBHC resulted in relaxation/health and improved well-being for more than a dozen adolescent women.

A very basic pre-test/post-test evaluation of the yoga initiative (using a 10-point likert scale evaluation tool) was completed by participants. While disappointed in these results, we believe the “insignificant effect of yoga” was due the less-than-optimal timing of the post-test evaluation—done more than a week after the final yoga practice, right when the participants were needing (and wanting!) another hour of yoga most. What we can tell you is that the practice resulted in a lifting of the spirit…the girls participating would literally drag into the clinic looking downcast and “blah” and FLOAT out of it, glowing and refreshed….the combination of Donna’s soothing voice, the opportunity to clear their minds of all worry and anxiety and the final moments of rest at the end of the hour were obviously restorative and healing. The fact that each of the participants returned week after week for yoga sessions also indicated an effective therapy had been found. Interestingly, in the time period that yoga practice was provided in the SBHC, none of the teens became pregnant, were suspended from school, or performed self-harming behaviors. Best of all, each of the girls asked to continue yoga practice. THEY found value in it and wanted to continue.

The story does not end here. More and more research indicates that yoga is an effective means of reducing anxiety and stress in adolescents. It is being used successfully in substance treatment programs (adult and adolescent), and as an adjunct therapy. Yoga training is being encouraged for mental health providers who come so well equipped with skills of mental health assessment, motivational interviewing and basic relaxation therapy.

Check our links from the conference presentation for more information and research data and think strongly about USING YOGA in your SBHC, especially if you have a staff member or community resource that is willing to share their talents and expertise. You can contact me or Donna with any questions.

Namaste,

Anne Derouin (anne.derouin@duke.edu)
Donna Eash (donna.eash@duke.edu)

Opening Plenary - Storytelling as Best Practice

2011-06-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

NASBHC's 2011 Annual Convention will kick off at 8:00am on June 27th with a workshop on storytelling from The Goodman Foundation's Andy Goodman.

Ever since we began talking to each other, telling stories has been the most powerful way to capture attention, engage an audience, and motivate them to act. Steadily advancing technology keeps handing us shiny new tools to communicate faster and farther – think iPads and Twitter to name just two – but in our fervor to remain current (and appear professional) we often ignore our natural inclination to tell a good story. In my presentation “Storytelling as Best Practice,” I will tell you why I believe storytelling remains the single most powerful communication tool you possess, how to tell a story that your audience will remember, and I’ll give you six categories of stories to collect that will help your organization advance your mission. I hope you will join me on Monday, June 27th, at 8:00 am for a session that may fundamentally change the way you communicate. (And if you’d like to read more about me and my work around storytelling, please visit my website, http://www.agoodmanonline.com/.)

Andy Goodman
Cofounder and Director
The Goodman Foundation

Workshop: PC1 - Improving Adolescent Health by Effectively Motivating Behavior Change

2011-06-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

This pre-convention workshop will be held on Sunday, June 26th from 1:00pm to 5:00pm in Ballroom A.

Make a difference in the lives of teens!

Are you frustrated with identifying risky behaviors in your teenage clients and feel like nothing you say is helping them change those behaviors? If so, come to the pre-conference workshop entitled “Improving Adolescent Health by Effectively Motivating Behavior Change” at the NASBHC conference next week! This workshop is focused on improving health professional’s capacity to effectively motivate adolescents towards positive change around common risky behaviors (substance use, unsafe sex, mental health, nutrition/physical activity). You will learn about risk assessment and counseling workshops focused on using motivational interviewing strategies effectively in Michigan and their outstanding results; as well as be an active participant in learning some basic motivational interviewing strategies that you can take home and use when talking with teen clients (or your own teens) about their risky behaviors. This is a workshop that you don’t want to miss!

Jennifer Salerno
Director/Nurse Practitioner
University of Michigan/RAHS

Meet the Social Media Fellows: Amanda Forsmark

2011-06-17T14:00:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Saginaw, Michigan!

My name is Amanda Forsmark and I am the Health Educator for both Saginaw High and Arthur Hill SBHCs. As a recent college graduate, I am VERY familiar with the Social Media world. I have seen Facebook evolve from something that was just a basic profile and you had to have a college email to sign up (that’s how MY account was set up!!), to newsfeeds, fan pages, and the infamous “Like” button. I know personally what it is like to check Facebook more often than email, and to use Status Updates as a way to communicate my emotions, weekend plans, or share news with my network. I’ve Tweeted, texted, Liked, blogged, followed, shared, posted, changed relationship status, friend requested, and even blocked all in the name of social media.

Our health centers are in the process of developing Facebook pages for both sites, and I am very excited to be a part of this process. Our ultimate goal is to reach student through a channel that they use on a daily basis.

At the NASBHC Conference in Chicago, I will be taking different videos throughout the week and posting them to our social media sites. Some of these videos may include asking you how you are enjoying the conference, or something that you took away from a session. So, if you see me coming with the camera, don’t be shy! We’d love to hear from you!

Meet the Social Media Fellows: Parrish Ravelli

2011-06-16T13:12:00.000-07:00

Hello NASBHC Supporters and Advocates!

I wanted to write this blog post talking about how I've used social media and online organizing strategies for advocacy and activism, in the past, in a way that would really reflect my experience. I also wanted to do it in a way that fit within the confines of "effective" social messaging. You know what I'm saying...140 characters or less! A little factual information, mixed with some thought provoking ideas, maybe topped with what I may or may not have had for lunch today, and wrapped up with a quick convenient call to action.

I thought a while about it. Should I write about some of the online advocacy campaigns I've been a part of...like the Facebook Olympics recruitment campaign with the North Carolina Teen Health Alliance, that helped drive over 500 new followers to our pages during a two week period...it's definitely something that is easily replicable. Maybe highlight some of the quick petitioning campaigns where we have gotten hundreds of signatures in just hours. Our Action Now team actually won the SmartOn Mobile App Contest!

I thought about even writing about this crazy theory I have about social media and advocacy and how it resembles the ripples on a lake when it rains. That moving messages across a platform involves quality as much as quantity, well that and location, location, location. But I find when I talk about this I usually end up confusing myself.

Maybe it would help to know more about me as person, that I had a fantastic shrimp taco for lunch today from local restaurant in Durham.

So here goes my best shot:

Empowered young people are the social network. The internet is just the platform. #actionnow #northcarolinateenhealthalliance

Please share.

Parrish Ravelli
Youth Empowerment Solutions (YES!)
Parrish@youthempoweredsolutions.org

Meet the Youth Track: Becky Lee

2011-06-16T11:35:00.000-07:00

As a third year UC Berkeley student, I am studying Public Health and Public Policy. My six-year involvement with SBHC policy and advocacy influenced my academic path and life goal to serve low-income communities. Even after graduating from high school three years ago, my school-based health center remains one of the most powerful forces in my life.While in high school, I tirelessly devoted my time advocating comprehensive health education and promoting the John Marshall Health Center. Partaking in the clinic’s student advisory board and Policy Leadership Program allowed me to remind Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of his promise to open 500 school clinics with hundreds of signature-filled pages from our petition campaign. Currently as a youth board member of the California School Health Centers Association, I have the opportunity to train and work with high school youth to become political activists for health reform. Successful moments like these enticed me to study Public Health at the collegiate level and continue to contribute to my community.

Meet the Social Media Fellows: Linda Lam

2011-06-15T11:33:00.000-07:00

Hello! My name is Linda Lam and I am one of the 2011 NASBHC Convention Social Media Fellows! I work for Asian Pacific Heath Care Venture (APHCV) in Los Angeles where I am the Clinic Coordinator of the John Marshall High School Health Center. What gave me a solid foundation of using media in community work was the team service project I was involved with through my Public Allies Los Angeles fellowship in 2005. My team service project, called Unearth Media, taught young people about media literacy and how to create their own media (digital storytelling- pictures/videos set to a narrative) to tell their own stories that are often not covered by mainstream media. Since then at APHCV, I’ve used myspace, e-newsletters, facebook, and our website to promote and create an online community where teens have another avenue to gain access to health and youth development services. Currently at JMHS Heath Center, the Student Advisory Board members are using social media as a part of the MO project with CANFIT and California School Heath Centers Association to organize an online video contest about healthy eating and physical fitness.

I am excited to be one of the Social Media Fellows because I look forward to involving all of us (at home or at the convention) in activities where we can effectively use social media to help support and promote the work at school-based heath centers. Hopefully we can then bring those strategies back to our own organization! The potential of social media as a tool to support and streamline the work we do at school-based health centers is limitless. Being a Social Media Fellow encourages me to take more steps to strengthen my own organization’s use of social media to help students gain access to health information and services.

I look forward to meeting all of you and encouraging all of us to share our stories and best practices to build this school health care movement!

Linda Lam
School Based Health Program Coordinator
Asian Pacific Health Care Venture, Inc.

Meet the Youth Track: Nidia L. Escobar

2011-06-15T10:40:00.000-07:00

My name is Nidia L. Escobar and I am from Los Angeles, CA. I am currently attending Pasadena City College and my intended major is Health Education. I first got involved with SBHC’s back in 2005 when I was a sophomore in high school. The reason why I was so drawn to volunteer for my high school's health center was because I thought they were addressing an important issue. Most people in my community do not really talk about certain issues, like teen pregnancy or nutrition or physical activity, so I felt it was very important for the health center to do so. What kept me involved for the following three years was the hard dedication of the health centers staff, and how much love they put into their work. Their enthusiasm in their work rubbed off on me. I then started to feel that it was so important for youth, like myself, to be involved in educating my peers and people living in my community. From that period in my life I knew what kind of career I wanted. I want to motivate young people to get involved in whatever issues might be important because a lot of issues effecting youth are made by adults without any youth input.

Meet the Youth Track: Nzugu Kitenge

2011-06-14T06:27:00.000-07:00

My name is Nzugu Kitenge and I am from Oakland California. I largely grew up in the Bay Area, but at one point my family and I moved to the Central Valley. The schools that I attended there did not have health centers or clinics. It wasn’t until I moved back to the Bay Area during my first year in high school that I found out what a school-based health center was. I was really amazed that a resource of this caliber was offered to high school students. I eventually became involved by joining a youth led research team that was supported by Alameda Family Services and USF, and through that was able to learn more of the services that were offered, as well as some of the issues that my fellow peers were going through. I truly learned about the impact a school-based health center has on a student body by being lucky enough to participate in this youth led research team. Utilizing and becoming a part of my school-based health center taught me that everyone should have the opportunity to take advantage of a health center in their school. School-Based health centers should be readily available to all youth across the state, and I will continue to advocate for them so that this mission can become a reality.

Meet the Social Media Fellows: Lauren Mosley

2011-06-10T08:25:00.000-07:00

Hi! I'm Lauren Mosley from HEALS, Inc. (Health Establishments at Local Schools) in Huntsville, AL, and I'm thrilled to be joining the National School-Based Health Care Convention this summer as a Social Media Fellow! Since joining HEALS, Inc. as the Development Director after graduate school in 2009, I have had the opportunity to wear multiple hats within the small non-profit organization, which has allowed me to grow our website and social media presence.

What better way to cultivate my creativity and leadership skills to build awareness for an organization that helps children and families in need?! The power of social media has sky-rocketed in the last few years, and I think it is more important now than ever to get the word out using these fun and interactive tools! As we are all working together to share the mission, vision, and vital sustainability of school-based health centers, by having a real-time connection to the Convention will mean substantial growth, feedback, and interaction with our supporters.

The more "connected" we become in creating a community of individuals and groups that understand our main goals and objectives, we will not only have fun process, but we can make lasting relationships that will keep us on the road to success! I look forward to working together to gain exponential support for our mission!

Meet the Youth Track: Elizabeth Guzman Arroyo

2011-06-09T11:43:00.000-07:00

This is the first in a series of posts that will run before the Convention introducing members of the Youth Track.

A dedicated leader and youth activist, Elizabeth Guzman Arroyo took it upon herself to fund the first statewide Youth Advisory Council for school-based health care in Oregon. Elizabeth is a strong advocate for school-based health care, beginning during her high school career with the development of the Forest Grove School-Based Health Center. As a youth leader, Elizabeth believes youth involvement in school-based health care is of the upmost importance. She states that, "school-based health care is for students. It is our responsibility and privilege as youth to advocate for resources that impact our lives." A current student at Linfield College, Elizabeth plans on majoring in General Business with a double concentration in Marketing and Management, a degree that will aid Elizabeth in pursuing her dream of developing a national youth leadership/development organization.

Five Great Workshops you don’t want to Miss

2011-06-08T11:10:00.000-07:00

Take a look at these five exciting workshops that will take place during NASBHC’s 2011 Annual Convention. These are just a sample of the great workshops that will be held in Chicago. To check out the full listing take a look at our preliminary program.

Engaging and Collaborating with Tribal Communities and Organizations: Successful Behavioral Health Intervention and Prevention Methods
Monday, June 27th, 9:45 am – 11:00 am

The recent health care reform law emphasizes the need for collaboration across community stakeholders to improve prevention education and intervention programs. During this workshop participants will develop a method to collaborate with and engage tribal communities and Indian organizations in building and implementing substance abuse and mental health programming.

PROTECT™ (Supporting Appropriate Immunizations across the Age Spectrum): Strategies for Improving Immunization Rates
Monday, June 27th, 3:15 pm – 4:30 pm

This activity has been planned in accordance with the need to provide education to address specific unmet needs and clinical gaps in the area of vaccine preventable diseases by improving the performance of clinicians who are currently responsible for administering immunizations to applicable pediatric, adolescent, and adult patients.

Pre-opening Surveys Help Define SBHC Services
Tuesday, June 28, 11:15 am – 12:30 pm

Pre-opening surveys can be very useful for determining the baseline access to health care and for assessing house-hold risk factors. This information can be used to help determine the spectrum of services for new SBHCs. Such surveys need not be complex.

A comprehensive Program Evaluation of Mental Health Services in a Rural School-Based Health Center: Implications for Planning Evaluations
Tuesday, June 28th, 3:15 pm – 4:30 pm

This workshop will present best-practice guidelines for the design, execution, and interpretation of evaluations targeting school-based mental health services. These concepts will be illustrated using a case study from rural high school.

Incorporating Oral Health in Primary Care Practice: Lessons from Kaiser Permanente
Tuesday, June 28th, 4:45 pm – 6:00 pm

Dental problems are the most commonly cited unmet need among children, with tooth decay being one of the most common diseases of childhood. This workshop will address barriers to early dental disease prevention practices by training health care providers in how to apply dental fluoride varnish in the medical office setting.

This years’ Convention is full of useful workshops like these, along with trainings, networking opportunities, activities, and information sessions for you to take advantage of. If you haven’t registered yet, visit www.nasbhc.org/convetion to register today.

What will you be doing in Chicago?

2011-06-02T11:49:00.000-07:00

It’s already June and if you’re coming to the Convention this year we’re sure you’re as excited to check out the great city of Chicago as you are to experience all the wonderful activities at the Convention. We wanted to take some time to highlight a few of the things to do while in Chicago outside of the Convention.

Not far from the Convention is Grant Park which includes great scenery like Buckingham Fountain, Millennium Park, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Cloud Gate (affectionately referred to as “the Bean” by Chicagoans). During the Convention Grant Park will be hosting a Taste of Chicago – one of the largest food festivals in the world. There will be lots of food (of course) along with musical acts and a 5K race/walk.

Cloud Gate

Also close to the Convention is Navy Pier which has fireworks, the Chicago Children’s Museum, boats and cruises, and a Ferris wheel. It’s a great place to check out Lake Michigan, go for a walk, or enjoy dinner.

Chicago is host to a wide array of world class museums and art galleries. The Shedd Aquarium is home to 32,500 animals, and not just fish! They also have otters, whales, penguins, lizards, and many other land and sea critters. The Museum of Science and Industry is a popular destination for science eggheads and amateurs alike. Or if art is more your thing, the Art Institute of Chicago has a wonderful collection of art in a variety of mediums – paintings, sculptures, and photography.

As you can see there is a wealth of culture, activities, and food to be enjoyed while in Chicago. We’re really excited to host our 2011 National Convention in such a large, eclectic city. We hope you can join us for an informative and productive experience with your peers and a fun time in one of the United State’s great cities!

Have any suggestions for places to visit? Post them in the comments section to share with your fellow attendees!

By Kyle Taylor
Outreach and Engagement intern

Welcome to NASBHC's 2011 Annual Convention Blog

2011-05-19T08:35:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to NASBHC's 2011 Annual Convention Blog. We can't wait to see everyone in Chicago this June - at the Convention and online.

There are a lot of exciting things happening at the Convention this year that you won't want to miss (click here to check out our preliminary program).

We'll be streaming all three of the plenary sessions live again this year along with two workshops to allow those who are unable to attend keep up with what's happening in Chicago.

Similar to last year, we'll show a live Twitter feed in the Convention hall. This allows everyone, including those who aren't present, to participate and interact with each other.

We are fortunate enough to have five social media fellows attending the Convention this year. They'll have distinct badges that will make them easy to spot. Throughout the Convention you will find them at NASBHC's booth and attending workshops. They will be happy to answer quesitons about Twitter and Facebook.

NASBHC is proud to have 16 Youth Ambassadors at the Convention this year participating in our Youth Track. These college and high school students will be travelling to the Convention from five different states and will work on projects related to their interests in media, advocacy, or leadership.

Keep checking this blog for updates, blogs about the different workshops and plenaries, and introductions to our staff, social media fellows, and youth ambassadors! And if you haven't registered yet, be sure to visit www.nasbhc.org/convention now. Keep in mind the early bird cut-off for registration is May 20th. Don't miss the discounted rate!

Watch NASBHC's 2011 Convention video:

By Kyle Taylor
Outreach and Engagement Intern

Let Us Know What You Think!

2010-06-28T11:38:00.000-07:00

For the first time ever NASBHC put a special effort into using social media tools to enhance the 2010 National School-Based Health Care Convention experience for both attendees and non-attendees.
Here's what we accomplished:

Live video streaming of all three Convention plenary sessions -- video archived on www.nasbhc.org/conventionvideophotos
23 posts over four days on our Convention blog, www.nasbhc.blogspot.com
Convention news, updates, and comments on NASBHC's Twitter page, www.twitter.com/nasbhc
Live Twitter feed displayed in the Convention ballroom before and after plenaries and displayed in the exhibitor hallway
Video and photos from the Advocacy Day Rally at www.nasbhc.org/advocacyday
Video interviews and photos from the Convention at www.nasbhc.org/conventionvideophotos
Three NASBHC Social Media Fellows Tweeting, doing video interviews, and answering questions!

We're proud of what we achieved in this first year of our social media push, but also want to explore how we can make our use of these tools even more vibrant and useful over the next year and for the 2011 Convention in Chicago.

NASBHC has put together a short, anonymous survey to learn more about how you utilized our website, blog, live plenary video, Twitter, etc. -- if at all -- and we'd appreciate it if you could take 5 minutes to let us know what you think.

If you attended the Convention in person, please take this survey:
http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22AUCLV53AY

If you did not attend the Convention in person, please take this survey: http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22AUCUL57ZS

Thanks!

Helping Immigrant and Refugee students Achieve School Success: Partnering with families to support student needs

2010-06-19T12:50:00.000-07:00

Immigrant and refugee students generally enter American schools with optimism and they work hard. Yet many soon fall behind, with decreasing academic success over the years. Second- and third-generation immigrants often face greater academic concerns. The alarming high school drop-out rate is nearly 25% for foreign-born students and 16% for those with foreign-born parents.

Schools typically focus on improving English skills, yet the immigrant experience itself brings challenges beyond learning a new language. One factor often overlooked is that immigrant and refugee students – and their families – face unique mental health issues that can interfere with student achievement. In coming to the U.S., children often leave close relatives behind, and many experience a grueling and violent journey. Students who are refugees often bring deep emotional scars from repeated violence, with limited prior educational opportunities.

Although they may be severe, the mental health needs of immigrant and refugee students frequently remain unidentified. A child who appears to be disinterested in schoolwork may actually be depressed, living with parents who themselves are depressed as they struggle to adjust. A student with violent outbursts who seems to be undisciplined can be reliving the emotion of a turbulent event in a war-torn country, experiencing a heightened “fight or flight” response.

Even if the needs are identified, immigrant and refugee students usually have limited access to mental health care and face barriers of culture as well as language. Many fade into the background, often viewed as disinterested or unwilling to learn, and they fall farther and farther behind academically.

One critical element of supporting these students to improve their academic achievement is engaging their families. This is particularly significant for immigrant and refugee families which tend to be close-knit and protective. While these families are committed to supporting their children, engaging them in school is often challenging, particularly in areas of student mental health which is stigmatized in many cultures of recent immigrants.

This workshop will highlight strategies identified through the Caring Across Communities (CAC) Initiative, administered by The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools at The George Washington University. Through CAC, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation awarded grants totaling $4.5 million to15 projects in diverse U.S. communities. The grants support a range of innovative partnerships among schools and community organizations that build effective, easily accessed services.

I’ve posted two articles I co-authored on this issue on the convention website: “Helping immigrant and refugee students succeed: It’s not just what happens in the classroom,” a version of an article that appeared in the November 2009 Kappan; and “Partnering with Parents and Families to Support Immigrant and Refugee Children at School,” an Issue Brief published by The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools in June 2009.

Eileen Gale Kugler
www.EmbraceDiverseSchools.com
Twitter: embraceDiversiT         Facebook: Embrace Diverse Schools

Advocacy Day Isn't Over Yet

2010-06-19T11:03:00.000-07:00

Here are five simple steps to maximize the impact of our Hill visits beyond June 17:

1. Write a thank you note to everyone you met

• Your mother was right: it's nice to be thanked. So make sure you send a thank you note to each staff member you met with, and to the members themselves if you were fortunate enough to meet them. Remind them about our issues -- providing specific details from the meeting will improve your note.

• Ask the person to whom you are writing to clarify, once again, the office’s position on a $50 million appropriation for SBHC operations:

• Either thank them for their stated support; or

• If they were noncommittal, ask again.

• Lastly, invite the member to visit a school-based health center in your community.

2. Send us your photos!

• Email them to Adrienne Ammerman, Director of Communications, at aammerman@nasbhc.org so we can include them in our files and on our website.

3. Fill our your meeting reports

• If a tree falls in the forest with no one around, does it make a sound? Honestly, I don't know. But I do know that if you don't tell us (in the national office) about your meetings, it's almost like it never happened.

• So: please email me at jrovner@nasbhc.org to let me know how it went. And please be specific about whether any follow-up is needed.

4. Media advocacy

• Write a letter to the editor about your meetings. Letters are generally limited to 200 words, though that can differ by newspaper.

• Mention your meeting with the member’s office and his or her position. Specifically, use the member’s name so that the letter to the editor appears in the office’s google news alerts.

• Do not make demands; this can backfire. If the member is negative toward our issues, express your disappointment – not anger.

• Express the hope that the member can help the children and adolescents of your community and the whole nation.

• You should also consider writing an op-ed piece. Use the ideas from above regarding a letter to the editor – they apply here, as well. Let us know about your successes!

5. Mailing lists

• Add the staff members you met with to your mailing list and stay in touch with them in the future.

Josh Rovner, Director of Policy & Advocacy

Advocacy Day Video (Part 1 of 4)

2010-06-19T07:37:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Iman Shervington for her great work filming and editing this film!

Outreach and Enrollment: Denver Case Studies

2010-06-19T06:36:00.000-07:00

In 2008 the City and County of Denver reported that 25,353 children 0-18 years old were eligible but not enrolled (EBNE) in Medicaid or CHP+. The Denver Health School-Based Health Centers (DSBHC) are located in 12 Denver Public Schools offering primary care services to over 10,000 students who are eligible for free and reduced lunch, an indicator for Medicaid or CHP+ eligibility. Over the past 5 years DSBHC has been developing more efficient systems and processes in its outreach and enrollment program to assist and enroll uninsured children and families of its clinics.

During the 2009-2010 school year, the DSBHC outreach and enrollment program held over 300 enrollment events enrolling over 4000 children and their family members in Medicaid, CHP+ or a discount program. Not only does the program effect the number of EBNE children but it has also made a significant change to the continued decline of the number of uninsured visits to the DSBHCs. DSBHC has also seen an increase in the number of Medicaid and CHP+ visits which has had a positive impact to the sustainability of the program.

During the workshop, Dr. Steve Federico, DSBHC Medical Director and Audrey Hoener, DSBHC Operations Manager, will not only discuss the success of the program but plan to offer building blocks to participants as to how they too can create an outreach and enrollment program that will benefit their needs. The workshop will give participants an opportunity to learn about becoming a Certified Application Assistant Site, Presumptive Eligibility Site, Medical Assistance Site, finding the right employees for the program, developing relationships with schools and the community and how the program strengthens SBHC models and patient care.

Dr. Steve Federico and Audrey Hoener, Denver Health School-Based Health Centers

Youth Leaving Their Mark on North Carolina  10 Youth, 10 Cities, 10 Times the Results

2010-06-19T06:34:00.000-07:00

  In North Carolina, with limited funding, the NC School Community Health Alliance has used a nationally recognized Youth Empowerment Model to create a statewide youth council, the NC Teen Health Alliance, as well as an undercurrent of youth-charged advocacy work for school health centers. Workshop participants will have the opportunity to participate in a youth-led examination of the Results-Based Youth Empowerment Model and how it has been effective in developing a statewide grassroots advocacy movement.

  The workshop will be co-facilitated by youth and adults and will examine the 3 major components of the model, Critical Awareness, Skill Building, and Opportunities. Participants will learn how to recognize the difference between youth involvement and youth empowerment, as well as the characteristics and sustainability associated with each. Finally, through targeting the Opportunities component, participants will explore the Real Time Community Change program of investing small amounts of money over short periods of time in a way that creates huge amounts of tangible outcomes. During the workshop, participants will look at major concepts such as “The Investor vs. The Funder”, “Goals vs. Results”, and “Coaching vs. Playing” in a way that will allow for personal and programmatic reflection, as well as strategies for implementation.

Parrish Ravelli, North Carolina School Community Health Alliance

Update on the SBHC Regulations: $200 million in Funding

2010-06-18T13:49:00.000-07:00

Those of you unable to join us on the south side of the Potomac River in Arlington, Virginia, for our opening plenary with Jim Macrae missed an important update on the forthcoming regulations that will help SBHCs nationwide continue and expand the care that they are providing forchildren and adolescents.

For some background, it’s important that you understand that Section 4101(a) the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act appropriated $200 million over the next four years for construction and equipment for new and existing SBHCs. We’re very grateful to our Congressional champions for making that happen, since the $200 million will make a big difference in the lives of youth everywhere. I attended two terrific Advocacy Day meetings earlier in the day with a few high school seniors and recent graduates from high schools in Maine, and they made the case of what can happen with that funding – and what else can be accomplished if Congress appropriates an additional $50 million for the operation of SBHCs as authorized under section 4101(b).

Jim Macrae is the Associate Administrator for Primary Health Care in the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA). As the head of the Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC), he is in charge of drafting the regulations that will specify how the $200 million appropriation for construction and equipment. He told a packed ballroom that the regulations are in the draft stage, and will be published in roughly one month.

As soon as the regulations are available we’ll convene phone calls to alert the field of the availability of the funds, and some assistance on how to structure the request for your center’s share of these competitive grants. Mr. Macrae also said that BPHC plans on holding its own phone calls with interested stakeholders to answer questions that remain after the regulations are published.

So stay tuned to our website. And become a member of NASBHC to become the first to know when the regulations are published.

Josh Rovner, Director of Policy and Advocacy

Groupthink: Supporting Adolescents with Diabetes through a SBHC Support Group

2010-06-18T13:33:00.000-07:00

It’s a pleasure to be back at the National conference with peers who are dedicated to SBHC’s and committed to being on the “front line” as advocates and caregivers of young people in our country. I’m honored to be among you, whether you here in DC or virtually. The presentation I’m giving this year is a summary of the work I’ve been doing at Duke while completing my Doctorate in Nursing Practice (DNP) Degree. For those who are not familiar with the DNP’s focus, we complete a “Capstone” project (rather than a thesis) that evaluates the effectiveness of an innovation in nursing practice or one that is being proposed for practice in a healthcare setting. I choose to look at the effects of a SBHC support group that works with adolescents with insulin-dependent diabetes, a project we had started at my clinical setting three years ago, but had no idea of its effectiveness. Through the Capstone, I was not only able to get a clear view of the significant risk factors and self-care behaviors the teens were choosing, but also the incredible difference we could make by providing a support group within the SBHC, or as some put it, a “safety net in the fabric of the school day” for the adolescents.

This affordable and sensible group approach yielded significant positive effects among the teen participants which included positive weight changes, stabilization of metabolic status, reduction of risk factors and negative diabetes care behaviors. Perhaps most importantly, the project demonstrated significant improvements in the adolescent’s self-confidence in managing their disease and a reduction in their stress and depression ratings. In essence, support groups work! With well-planned SBHC outreach efforts that support teens with Diabetes, we can make significant POSITIVE impact on the lives of adolescents and perhaps their future!

The implications for SBHC support groups are vast—not only in the US, but worldwide, not only for Diabetes, but for all chronic illness. I welcome comments and questions, so please feel free to contact me.

Anne Derouin DNP, CPNP
Clinical Associate, Duke School of Nursing
Southern High School Wellness Center
Duke Community and Family Medicine

Love Your Liver

2010-06-18T12:33:00.000-07:00

It is exciting to be convening with colleagues from across the country who are committed to improving youth health outcomes; an issue very dear to many of us.

We at the American Liver Foundation are no exception. Since its inception 20 months ago, our Love Your Liver (LYL) program has reached nearly 60,000 students, educating them about their liver and the actions they can take to prevent liver disease.

When we first welcome students to the program, some look at us with great curiosity and interest as they are not quite sure what to expect. Others shoot us a “why do I need to know about this” look. The program starts with intriguing liver facts and powerful visuals. You can see the interest build as students’ hands soar into the air at top speed asking to be called on. Students then engage in activities that reinforce the information they learned. It never ceases to amaze us how much the 7 year olds want to keep playing Liver Bingo or how competitive the 15 year olds are in answering each question correctly for their team in Liver Trivia. Finally, students complete evaluation forms indicating the knowledge gained and topics of interest. As it turns out, students have significant increase in liver knowledge and are excited to share and apply what they learned with family and friends.

Come see us and the “Love Your Liver: Empowering Youth with Liver Health Knowledge” poster to learn about this free and effective resource that is available to you and your community! Help us empower students with liver health knowledge so they can forge a healthy future for themselves. Look forward to seeing you soon!

Indhira Blackwood, Jeroen Kwakkenbos, and Susan Robinson

The Impact of School-Based Health Services on Access, and Utilization of Health Services, Three Years Post Disaster

2010-06-18T12:26:00.000-07:00

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (September 2005), schools in the New Orleans Metropolitan area were under siege. Total school facilities in two Parishes (Counties) were completely destroyed. Students and teachers were displaced from their homes and trying to put their lives and their schools back together. The one Parish with the most schools and communities intact was swamped with displaced and troubled students.

This was the context, with all of its related challenges, within which the school-based health centers (SBHCs) had to be rebuilt and expanded. The whole process had tremendous complexities, but in many respects, it was also a great opportunity to build a new and better system of care for vulnerable youth at a time when they needed it most.

With the resources provided by a generous grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the SBHC leaders formed School Health Connection and took on the challenge. The SBHCs would be new sites in new schools, so the circumstances provided a great opportunity to study the impact of SBHCs in addressing the health needs of students- needs that were exacerbated by the hurricane disaster. I hope you will come to our session and hear about our experiences.

Marsha Broussard, MPH and Sarah Kohler, MPH, Program Director & Evaluation Coordinator, School Health Connection, Louisianan Public Health Institute

Thanks!

2010-06-18T11:41:00.000-07:00

It’s been more than a day since we finished our Advocacy Day rally,

and I think I can speak for all the staff when I say how excited we

all were by the turnout and by our great speakers. Special thanks to

our Congressional champions, Senator Jeff Merkley and Representatives

John Dingell, John Sarbanes, Chris Murphy, and Lois Capps, for getting

us revved up for a great day.

I attended six meetings and got to meet advocates from Oakland and Los

Angeles, Miami-Dade County in Florida, North Carolina’s Research

Triangle, Cincinnati, and from all over the state of Maine. The

offices I met with couldn’t help by be impressed by the stories from

our next generation of advocates – some still in high school, some who

just graduated – who made the commitment to come to Washington and

speak up from themselves and their friends. I loved hearing how these

youth understand that, whatever successes they’ve had taking care of

their own community, that they owe it to the friends they’ve never met

to look out for the kids without an SBHC in their schools.

As I said at the morning rally: every school deserves a health center.

And we made that case to more than 120 Senators, Representatives, and

their staffs. Our yellow shirts were all over the Hill yesterday, and

our voices will persist long after.

Josh Rovner, NASBHC Director of Policy and Advocacy

Advocacy Day Photos

2010-06-18T11:29:00.001-07:00

Photos from the California School Health Center Association's Youth Board

2010-06-18T11:17:00.001-07:00

Community Schools and School-Based Health Centers: Seeking Academic Success for Students Through Community Partners

2010-06-18T07:11:00.000-07:00

Dr. Marilyn Crumpton and Darlene Kamine will be presenting a workshop on school based health centers as part of the popular and quickly expanding community school model that is transforming schools across the country. With multiple partners co-located and collaborating at a school site as part of a shared vision to support the students, their families and the neighborhood, school based health centers within a community school are part of a more desirable holistic approach to improved health and wellness.

As community learning centers typically offer extended hours daily and year round, school based health providers can expand their client base and serve students during and beyond the school day as well as children and families in the neighborhood who may not otherwise be connected to the school. School based health centers operating within the community school paradigm also can operate more efficiently as overhead expenses are often absorbed by the school district and administrative costs such as evaluation and technology may be shared among the partners.

Community schools establish a hub for students, families and neighborhoods, especially those disconnected by urban sprawl, demanding work schedules or unemployment, lack of family support, increased mobility, homelessness, and the many other challenges that families face. In the community school setting, school based health centers have an opportunity to grow services into the community and improve the quality of life for all.

Dr. Crumpton and Ms. Kamine have been working together on the development of community schools including school based health services since 2002 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Dr. Crumpton is a pediatrician and the Executive Director of Growing Well Cincinnati, a health partnership network that provides the capacity for coordinated school health within the Cincinnati Public Schools Community Learning Centers. Dr. Crumpton is also the Medical Director of the Division of School and Adolescent Health for the Cincinnati Health Department. She has spent her career in public health including twelve years as the County Health Officer in Dothan, Alabama. She also served as the Director of Maternal and Child Health in Annapolis Maryland, and as the Associate Medical Director for the Alabama Medicaid Agency.

Ms. Kamine is an attorney who has devoted her career to juvenile justice including 17 years on the bench as a magistrate in Cincinnati’s juvenile court. She is also the founder of ProKids, a guardian ad litem program representing abused, neglected and dependent children in the juvenile justice system.

Dr. Crumpton and Ms. Kamine came together with a shared vision to help create the kind of schools in the kind of neighborhoods where we would all want to send our children. The community schools in Cincinnati have been recognized as one of the leading community school initiatives in the country.

Watch the Archived Video of the Opening Plenary

2010-06-18T06:37:00.001-07:00

Miss the opening plenary Thursday evening? You can watch the archived video online here.

Some of the Special Guests from the Advocacy Day Rally

2010-06-17T11:03:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Senator Merkley (OR) and Representatives Dingell (MI), Murphy (CT), Sarbanes (MD), and Capps (CA) for speaking at our rally this morning! More details and photos to come...

Welcome to Advocacy Day! At the Mott House #nasbhc on Twitpic

2010-06-17T10:31:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Advocacy Day! At the Mott House #nasbhc on Twitpic

Suicide Postvention in Schools: An Innovative Toolkit for Managing Crises

2010-06-17T10:14:00.000-07:00

Few things distress a school community more than a student’s death by suicide, yet school teachers, administrators and staff often don’t have what they need to respond to a suicide crisis. Knowing the right things to do after a student’s suicide is essential for helping students and staff cope with the loss and prevent further tragedies.

I’ll be doing a poster presentation (“Suicide Postvention in Schools: An Innovative Online Toolkit for Managing Crises”) that discusses the importance of suicide prevention and postvention* in schools, and provides an overview of a forthcoming online toolkit for responding to a suicide crisis. I got involved with developing the toolkit as part of my role as a Senior Prevention Specialist at the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC), a national technical assistance resource center.

The project is a collaborative effort between SPRC, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and seeks to meet a distinct need in the field for concise, easy to access information to help schools respond after a suicide. I’ve had a longstanding passion for school-based work, so the toolkit was a good fit with my interests and skills.

I’m excited to be presenting on this topic at NASBHC’s Convention and look forward to conversations about how the toolkit will benefit SBHCs, whether there are content areas that are especially relevant for your school communities, and how we might think about promoting the toolkit when it goes live in September.

*Suicide postvention refers to the provision of crisis intervention and other support following a suicide to address and alleviate the possible effects of suicide, including contagion.

Gayle Jaffe, MSW, MPH is a Senior Prevention Specialist with the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (www.sprc.org), which provides support, training, and resources to organizations and individuals at the national, tribal, state, territorial, and community levels.

Attention all Mental Health Providers!

2010-06-17T09:16:00.001-07:00

Laura Hurwitz, Director of School Mental Health at NASBHC, invites all mental health provides to a networking session on Friday June 18th from 4:45-6:00 pm in the Manassas room, on the second level of the hotel. Mental health providers will have an opportunity to share what they are doing in their SBHCs with their colleagues around the country as well as to learn about some of NASBHC’s school mental health work.

If you haven’t yet rsvp’d, you can do so by emailing Laura at LHurwitz@nasbhc.org.

Introducing... NASBHC's Social Media Fellows (part 2 of 2)

2010-06-17T04:21:00.000-07:00

Introducing… Iman Shervington

Greetings fellow NASBHC convention attendees! I'm from a community-based non-profit in New Orleans called the Institute of Women & Ethnic Studies (IWES), and as a Social Media Fellow I'm here to impart the highlights, sights and sound(bites) back to you, as well as to those that couldn't make it this year. I have an MFA in Film Directing, and at IWES I am privileged to be able to mix my love of art and media with social justice, specifically to advocate for the health and well-being of the youth of the New Orleans metro area.

Through our Media Advocates for Prevention (MAP) program as well as our Social marketing Technology Outreach Program (STOP), I work with youth aged 13-24 to promote HIV prevention and sexual health among their peers through youth-created media content (audio and film pieces). A major focus of both of these programs is new media, specifically the utilization of web-based technologies such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, & YouTube. At IWES, we also work with the Louisiana Public Health Initiative (LPHI) to promote School-Based Health Centers in New Orleans by serving as a liaison between the administration and the community to promote enrollment and utilization of clinic services.

I look forward to meeting many new friends this weekend and sharing your stories through NASBHC's social media channels! Please look out for me throughout the convention if you have an interesting experience you would like to share.

Introducing… NASBHC Social Media Fellow Darby Baker

Hello everyone! My name is Darby Baker and I am from Camas Valley, Oregon. I am affiliated with Umpqua Community Health Clinic of Roseburg, Oregon. I am currently the receptionist for their School Based Health Center at Douglas High School in Winston Oregon. Umpqua Community Health Clinic is a Federally Qualified Health Center so I work in their other locations as well. Currently they operate two school based health centers and four not for profit health centers located throughout Douglas County as well as a dental clinic. We operate on mostly federal dollars that offset out expenses so that we are able to provide health care in a teen health center setting but are able to provide health and dental care to uninsured adults as well.

Social media started its impact for the 2010 NASBHC Convention many months ago. The ability to email, blog, text, facebook and twitter has made the ability to converse with other professionals much easier and many of the same network users will be able to use those tools while they attend the convention. The ability to stay in contact via Twitter and Facebook is a popular choice instead of phone calls and email. Bloggers have exploded onto the social scene and the ability to share technology and content has evolved dramatically. Having the ability to ask questions, participate in Webinars and having access to so much information from others in the same professional capacity is encouraging. Convention goers will easily be able to continue their communications long after the conference is over.

The media that will profoundly impact the NASBHC Convention will not stop with the attendees. Even those that are unable to attend the convention will be able to access certain information through the internet. I always look forward to meeting new people and having the ability to continue these professional relationships via Twitter and Facebook. We can share ideas, concerns and even plan for the next conference thanks to the accessibility of social media and the profound effect it has on our world today.

Introducing... NASBHC's Social Media Fellows (Part 1 of 2)

2010-06-16T13:16:00.000-07:00

Introducing… Robin Kirkpatrick, LCSW, MPH

I applied for the Social Media Fellowship because I am very interested in Social Networking tools such as Facebook, Twitter, and Blogs as relatively new sociocultural phenomenon. I am fascinated by the possibility these resources hold as tools for health education with teens, how adolescents utilize these venues to express themselves and interact, and how we as adult advocates can make use of these resources to connect with each other, as well as with young people, around topics that are engaging for all of us.

Good writing, a sense of humor, and a compelling circumstance, such as the NASBHC Convention, can combine to create a persuasive platform to inform and inspire interested parties. My previous experience working in two school-based clinics, and now working as an advocate for school-based health care in my current job as the Associate Director of the California Adolescent Health Collaborative, (CAHC) provide me with a broad knowledge base from which to discuss the exciting events that are sure to unfold during the 2010 Convention.

The other element of social media that I really enjoy is the interaction; it’s always a surprise what people will respond to: what thoughts, impressions, and ideas are inspired by a post, comment, picture, link, or video. I look forward to a engaging with a lively and provocative community of school health advocates during the convention.

Robin has worked in the field of adolescent health for the past thirteen years. Both in direct service with adolescents as a mental health provider, and in research, policy, and advocacy work on youth health, she has sought to find creative solutions to the myriad of challenges teens face. Currently, she is the Associate Director for the California Adolescent Health Collaborative. The California Adolescent Health Collaborative (CAHC), a project of the Public Health Institute, is a public-private statewide coalition with the goal of increasing understanding and support for adolescent health and wellness in California. In this position, she is involved in direct research on a range of adolescent health issues as well as policy and advocacy efforts to improve health services and environments for teens throughout California.

Introducing…. Suzanne Keep MSN, RN

Social media is becoming an essential means of communication in both the work place and personal social networks. Incorporating social media into the 2010 National School Based Health Care Convention allows those who are not able to attend the conference feel as though they are a part of the conference through attendants’ blog posts, tweets and Facebook updates. Creating a viral buzz about the convention will be vital to the convention’s success, and social media and networking can only enhance this viral buzz. I believe that if as many of the attendees as possible can be active in social media, the convention will have an unprecedented interest and following.

Suzanne is an assistant professor for the University of Detroit McAuley School of Nursing at the Grand Rapids, Michigan campus, and a PhD in Nursing student at Rutgers University. Suzanne teaches community health practicum where students are in the Grand Rapids Public Schools, working with school nurses.

Advocacy Day Starts Tomorrow

2010-06-16T09:01:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon, everyone.

We’re putting some of the final touches on our Advocacy Day, and it’s really looking terrific. We’ve scheduled more than 110 meetings (more are coming in even as I type), thanks to the great work of our field. At least nineteen of those meetings are with the appropriators who are pivotal to making sure SBHCs get the resources they need to keep their doors open and continue providing care. We have meetings with twelve offices whose members sit on the education committees – Education and Labor in the House and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions in the Senate. Everywhere we go, we’ll be making the common-sense case for why healthy students make better learners.

I hope we’ll have some blog posts as the day goes on to let you know how the rally in the morning goes and what feedback we hear from the Congressional offices in our meetings. If you’re not coming to the convention, please be sure to contact your members to express support for school-based health care in your community. Invite your representative to tour a clinic. Write a letter to the editor.

But for the hundreds of you who are traveling to the Convention: I can’t wait to see you. Bring your spirit and your passion. Let’s make it a great day!
Josh Rovner, NASBHC Policy & Advocacy Director

NASBHC's School-Based Health Care Convention is Going Live!

2010-06-03T10:20:00.000-07:00

NASBHC is celebrating our 15^th anniversary by taking our Convention in to the digital age.

This year, SBHC advocates who can’t attend the Convention will be able to watch a LIVE video feed of all three plenary sessions!

Plus, participants at the Convention and at home can participate by reading and writing blogs and Twitter feeds.

Check back here for more details...

National School-Based Health Care Convention

How was your Convention Social Media Experience?

Convention Update from Linda Lam

Convention Update from Parrish Ravelli

Convention Update from Lauren Mosely

NASBHC's Youth Track Visits Uplift Community High School

Workshop: B6 - Collaborative Management of Concussions in Adolescent Athletes in a Maine SBHC

Workshop: F5 - Does Your School Board Need a Sex-Ed Revolution? Does Your School Board Need a Sex-Ed Revolution?

NASBHC would like to Thank...

Workshop: E4 - Medical Assistants: The Different Hats They Wear and How They Can Impact Efficiency

Workshop: E3 - Red Flags: An Adolescent Mental Health Awareness Program

Workshop: E1 - Community Schools: A Strategy, Not a Program

Workshop: E2 - A Collaborative Approach to Sexually Transmitted Disease Detection in School-Based Settings

Workshop: D2 - Putting Bright Futures to Work: Measuring and Improving Preventive Services

Workshop: D8 - Successful Models for Enrolling and Retaining Children in Medicaid and CHIP through School-Based Health Clinics Part III

Workshop: D8 - Successful Models for Enrolling and Retaining Children in Medicaid and CHIP through School-Based Health Clinics Part II

Workshop: D8 - Successful Models for Enrolling and Retaining Children in Medicaid and CHIP through School-Based Health Clinics

Workshop: D4 - SBHC Integration: A Cross-Agency Quality Improvement Collaborative Model

Workshop: D7 - North Carolina's Youth Advocacy Toolkit

Meet the Social Media Fellows: Kristin Anderson

Workshop: A1 - The Big Tent: Local and State Experiences with Implementation of School Health Services

Workshop: C7 - Using Teen Theater for Youth Engagement

Workshop: C2 - CHIPRA: Demonstrating Quality Health Care via School-Based Health Centers

Workshop: A3 - Using Yoga in School-Based Health Centers

Opening Plenary - Storytelling as Best Practice

Workshop: PC1 - Improving Adolescent Health by Effectively Motivating Behavior Change

Meet the Social Media Fellows: Amanda Forsmark

Meet the Social Media Fellows: Parrish Ravelli

Meet the Youth Track: Becky Lee

Meet the Social Media Fellows: Linda Lam

Meet the Youth Track: Nidia L. Escobar

Meet the Youth Track: Nzugu Kitenge

Meet the Social Media Fellows: Lauren Mosley

Meet the Youth Track: Elizabeth Guzman Arroyo

Five Great Workshops you don’t want to Miss

What will you be doing in Chicago?

Welcome to NASBHC's 2011 Annual Convention Blog

Let Us Know What You Think!

Helping Immigrant and Refugee students Achieve School Success: Partnering with families to support student needs

Advocacy Day Isn't Over Yet

Advocacy Day Video (Part 1 of 4)

Outreach and Enrollment: Denver Case Studies

Youth Leaving Their Mark on North Carolina 10 Youth, 10 Cities, 10 Times the Results

Update on the SBHC Regulations: $200 million in Funding

Groupthink: Supporting Adolescents with Diabetes through a SBHC Support Group

Love Your Liver

The Impact of School-Based Health Services on Access, and Utilization of Health Services, Three Years Post Disaster

Thanks!

Advocacy Day Photos

Photos from the California School Health Center Association's Youth Board

Community Schools and School-Based Health Centers: Seeking Academic Success for Students Through Community Partners

Watch the Archived Video of the Opening Plenary

Some of the Special Guests from the Advocacy Day Rally

Welcome to Advocacy Day! At the Mott House #nasbhc on Twitpic

Suicide Postvention in Schools: An Innovative Toolkit for Managing Crises

Attention all Mental Health Providers!

Introducing... NASBHC's Social Media Fellows (part 2 of 2)

Introducing... NASBHC's Social Media Fellows (Part 1 of 2)

Advocacy Day Starts Tomorrow

NASBHC's School-Based Health Care Convention is Going Live!

Youth Leaving Their Mark on North Carolina  10 Youth, 10 Cities, 10 Times the Results