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By Editor Becky Watts
ZEBULON - The Pike County School Based Health Center had a Strategy Teams meeting at noon on Wednesday, May 9, 2012. The School Based Health Center now has a new name and is working toward a new set of goals.
A vote was taken at the meeting to call the School Based Health Center the Children’s Health Resource Network Initiative. This will be a program that will begin at the Primary School and be inclusive of older siblings as well as homeschool, private school, and parochial school children.
Today’s meeting was an update on what the two Strategy Teams have been working on for the past three months. Team leaders presented short and long-term plans that will be in the works over the next several months.
The Health Promotion & Prevention Education Strategy Team is working toward programs such as Nutrition-Obesity, Exercise and Health Activities, and other programs that would promote good health. Collaboration with other groups and programs is part of this discussion. Deirdre Slaughter is the Team Leader for this group.
The possibility of quarterly programs such as dental and hygiene to promote good health are a possibility. First Aid and Safety Days with the Police Department, Sheriff’s Office and Health Department would also be good collaboration for programs that would help integrate the program material into the community.
The possibility of presenting the Teen Maze program which presents older students with real life scenarios and allows them to work through them as a group activity was suggested as a long-term goal. Partnering would be necessary for a project like this because of the cost of the materials that would be needed. And working with personal trainers, fitness centers and groups in our area such as the Boys & Girls Club has been suggested as well.
This group is going to work further into presenting ideas for day, week, month and year long ideas as well as making suggestions for possible partnerships for the programs. The meeting today even prompted a suggestion for an education programs about alcohol, tobacco, drugs, and prescription drugs.
Team Leader Dr. Bonnie Byrd presented the recommendations of the Mental Health Strategy Team. This program will begin at Pike County Primary School if it is approved by the Pike County Board of Education and the Pike County School Superintendent. The plan of action by this group centers around the Primary School and how to reach out to parents.
The plan of action includes sending home a letter in the beginning of the year packet that would allow parents to fill out a note for the school with yes or no questions for whether there are life events that the school needs to know about and whether the parent would like contact from a counselor or administrator.
It would also include adding a contact number to the magnetic school calendar so parents can call to advise the school of life-changing events in a student’s life. Examples of life-changing events include a death in the family or a divorce.
They will also work on a list of agencies that deal with children and youth in our area that can provide needed care for specific needs. This resource list would also go home with children in the welcome packet at the beginning of the year. This Strategy Teams plans to have their plans in place by July so this could be ready for the beginning of the next school year.
Facilitator Mike Powell and Scribe Regina Abbott will work toward and action plan that will put basic action steps into place for a long-term plan by August. And the Strategy Teams have been tasked with keeping a log of activities, goals and costs of programs in order to achieve long-term planning. The biggest emphasis in this meeting was placed on showing parents how to help that is needed for their children. Dr. Byrd emphasized the importance of advising parents of how to get funding for help that is needed.
The Chairs of each Strategy Team will meet with Regina Abbott and Mike Powell on the second Wednesday of each month on June 13 and July 11 from 12 noon to 1 p.m. and the Stategy Teams will continue to meet on the third Thursday of each month. A strategic planning workshop is planned for August 8, 2012 from 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. There is still time for volunteers to be a part of the Children's Health Resource Network Initiative.
If you are interested in being a volunteer in this process, please contact Michael Powell at 770-567-2930 or powellm@pike.k12.ga.us.
Click here for the February article as well as all past articles about the School Based Health Center.