New Publication Shows How Schools Can Work with Health Departments
February 4, 2010 – A new publication released by the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Adolescent and School Health shows the value of partnerships between schools and health departments and offers relevant information on how health departments work and how schools can work with health departments.
There is a critical link between health and learning – a growing body of research shows that good health improves behavior and the likelihood of academic success, and better-educated individuals are more likely to have better health status.
Although lately schools have been increasingly implementing policies and practices that keep students healthy and ready to learn, there are still many students afflicted by health problems such as poor nutrition, obesity, asthma, and psychological issues that prevent them from fully engaging in school. Unfortunately, schools do not have all the resources necessary to deal with every health barrier to student success. One way to address that is for schools to partner with other public and private agencies. A valuable partner is the public health department.
According to the “Partnering for Success: How Health Departments Work & How to Work with Health Departments,” public health departments have specialized health knowledge, and program development and data analysis expertise that can help educators address health-related barriers to learning. In addition, such departments are becoming increasingly involved in funding, evaluating, or regulating school health initiatives such as comprehensive school health education and school-based health centers. Moreover, health departments can help with school-based prevention efforts such as vaccinations against the H1N1 virus.
Alliances between education and health agencies are mutually beneficial because they allow resources to be utilized more effectively and decrease duplication of efforts. According to the publication, such a partnership can advance school health goals by:
- Promoting awareness of the link between health and learning;
- Providing resources and training on health topics such as safety, immunization, indoor air quality, and childhood obesity prevention;
- Working with schools to provide health services;
- Partnering with schools to identify and apply for funding for school health initiatives for which education agencies are not eligible; and
- Assisting with gathering and interpreting data about the health of students, their parents, and the community.
On the other hand, public health departments can benefit from such a partnership by using schools to reduce serious public health risks such as youth tobacco use and childhood obesity and address public safety needs.
The publication includes a section that describes the U.S. public health delivery system at the federal, state and local levels, and a section that lists ways to work with health departments. In addition, it offers resources related to the issue as well as selected federal initiatives related to coordinated school health.
Source: “Partnering for Success: How Health Departments Work & How to Work with Health Departments,” NACDD, 2010.