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For the latest on
School Health Connection
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For more information contact
SHC@lphi.org
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Lunch and Learn: Celebrating School-Based Health Care Awareness Month
As part of School Health Connection's ongoing celebration of National School-Based Health Care Awareness Month, a lunch and learn session was held February 12, 2014 in partnership with Connect to Protect. The session, held at Eleanor McMain Secondary School, explored the state of adolescent care access from a school-based health center (SBHC) perspective.
Guest speakers included Dr. Sue Ellen Abdalian, Adolescent Medicine Section Chief of the Tulane University School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics, Section of Adolescent Medicine and the Medical Director of two New Orleans SBHCs, and Dr. Ryan Pasternak, Adolescent Medical Director of the LSU Health Sciences Center Department of Pediatrics and Medical Director of three New Orleans SBHCs.
The session included an overview of the services  offered by SBHCs, including preventive care and STI/HIV testing; explored the role of SBHCs in the overall system of care in New Orleans; and provided helpful tips to community-based organizations and healthcare affiliates regarding school health policies and procedures. The session concluded with a tour of the McMain SBHC.
To receive information about the next lunch and learn session presented by SHC, contact SHC Community Engagement Manager Angie Brown at abrown@lphi.org.
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GE Foundation Supports New Orleans
School-Based Health Centers
School Health Connection and Warren Easton Charter High School welcomed Jennifer Edwards, the GE Foundation Director of US Developing Health, to New Orleans for a site-visit February 4, 2014. During her visit, Ms. Edwards met with members of the Warren Easton Charter Foundation, including Board President David Garland, Principal Alexina Medley, School Nurse Cassondra Ferrand, School Social Worker Isabella Christodoulou, and the school-based health center (SBHC) staff. The SBHC at Warren Easton is operated by the Tulane University School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics, Section of Adolescent Medicine. Ms. Edwards completed her visit with tours of the school and SBHC. The GE Foundation has generously provided critically needed operational support for the five New Orleans SBHCs since 2010, allowing thousands of New Orleans youth to access comprehensive primary and behavioral health care. In recognition of National School-Based Health Care Awareness Month, School Health Connection would like to thank the GE Foundation, as well as the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, for continuing to value and generously support the health and wellness of New Orleans youth. |
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City of New Orleans Recognizes February as School-Based Health Center Awareness Month
The New Orleans City Council's Health, Education & Social Services Committee formally recognized the month of February as School-Based Health Center Awareness Month at a meeting February 12, 2014. Angelita Brown, SHC Community Engagement Program Manager, and Dr. Ryan Pasternak, Adolescent Medical Direc tor of the LSU Health Sciences Center Department of Pediatrics and Medical Director of three New Orleans SBHCs, had the honor of presenting an SBHC update to the committee. The committee presented them with an official proclamation, signed by all seven City Council Members.
Pictured: Dr. Ryan Pasternak, Orleans Parish School Board Superintendent Stan Smith, New Orleans City Councilmember LaToya Cantrell, Angelita Brown
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Evidence Supports the Benefits of Full-Time School-Based Health Centers
Analysis of a large SBHC impact survey with approximately 5,000 students conducted in 2009 and 2012 by School Health Connection revealed tha t, relative to students who do not have access to a school-based health center (SBHC), students in schools with a full-time SBHC were less likely to report an unmet need for healthcare than students without access to a SBHC. These students were also more likely to have ever talked to a mental health counselor; talked to a mental health counselor in the last 12 months; used SBHC behavioral health in the last 12 months; been tested for HIV and been tested for STDs. Overall, the results of the survey suggest that full-time SBHCs have a greater effect on utilization and are associated with decreased risk behaviors.
To view a list of the school-based health centers in the Greater New Orleans Area, click here or on the image above.
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Meet the School Health Connection Team
Sean Clark joined School Health Connection as an AmeriCorps Community HealthCorps member in September 2012. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Morehouse College, where he concentrated in Public Health and African-American Studies. Sean currently serves as a wellness coordinator working with youth advisory committees in New Orleans public schools. Additionally, he has a role as a quality assurance and fidelity monitor with the 4Real Health Program. Sean plans to pursue a graduate degree in public health with a focus in education and communication.
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| About School Health Connection
School Health Connection (SHC) is a regional collaborative effort formed after Hurricane Katrina to support the rebuilding and expansion of SBHCs in the New Orleans Metropolitan area. SHC collaborative partners include local and state government and school systems, universities, medical institutions, foundations, and community partners. In 2006, SHC received funding to support the construction of SBHCs and enhance physical and behavioral health services in public and charter schools in the four-parish area. The Louisiana Public Health Institute (LPHI) administers funds provided by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and GE Foundation on behalf of the SHC program and its partners. For more information about SHC and a complete list of locations, partners and medical sponsors, visit www.schoolhealthconnection.org.
About The W.K. Kellogg Foundation
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, established in 1930, supports children, families and communities as they strengthen and create conditions that propel vulnerable children to achieve success as individuals and as contributors to the larger community and society. Grants are concentrated in the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean, and southern Africa. For further information on the foundation, please visit www.wkkf.org.
School Health Connection is a program of the
Louisiana Public Health Institute
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