Community Health

Goal/Description

This program provides: (this is my job description from ADH)

  • Assistance with grant writing for school grants and community coalition grants.
  • A linkage for school-based tobacco prevention and other health efforts with local community coalitions.
  • Serves as an advocate for school health needs to community coalitions.
  • Linkage of resources for schools, community coalitions and others in the community to promote healthy communities.
  • Technical assistance on public health practices to schools and community coalitions.
  • Provides technical assistance and collaborates with school nurses to identify appropriate resources and continuing education offerings that will help meet the requirements for nursing licensure.
  • Works with State School Nurse Consultant to disseminate information as needed.
  • Site visits were made to school nurses and numerous emails/phone calls to facilitate communication with all school nurses. (There are over 144 school nurses in NWAESC.)
  • Technical assistance with school districts on all School Health issues.
  • Provides Technical Assistance in policy development for tobacco and school-based enforcement of tobacco related policies.
  • Provides Technical Assistance with evidence-based curricula, for tobacco, nutrition, and physical activity.
  • Provides training to school nurses and others.
  • Provides Technical Assistant to School Districts with Communicable Disease Outbreaks
  • Provides Educational Information  at School and Community Health Fairs
  • Provides health information for Parent Involvement Centers.
  • Provides training and technical assistance on School Health Index.
  • Provides technical assistance to Coordinated School Health grantees.
  • Provides technical assistance to tobacco prevention grantees.

Major Highlights of the Year

Professional development provided for school nurses (and others):

  1. NWAESC Annual School Nurse Workshop –  various speakers in addition  to nursing Continuing Education Offered – about  150 participants from the various school districts. Also have exhibitors, including from out of state, for nurses to visit with during breaks and lunch.
  2. Body Mass Index (BMI) Measurements Training Certification for new School Nurses (11)
  3. Scoliosis Certification for New School Nurses (13)
  4. Vision  & Hearing Certification Trainings  for New School Nurses  (25)
  5. New Hearing Training to 129 School Nurses
  6. NWA School Nurse Association Meeting hosted at NWAESC & speaker obtained with Nursing CE.
  7. Regional ADH staff meetings held here – hosted
  8. School Nurse Coordinators Meeting – 3 meetings held  with all the school districts present – met after I attended the statewide CHSN meeting in Little Rock – to communicate updates and other information.
  9. Assisted at Western Ark. Co-op, Arch Ford, and O.U.R. Co-op with their annual fall school nurse workshop.
  10. School Health Index training with Elkins School District
  11. Hosted trainings for School Nurses and other school personnel – Traumatic Brain Injury –  2 sessions and Fatal Alcohol Spectrum; Healthy Lungs (2); Healthy Heart; Healthy Skin (2); Biology of Cancer..
  12. Coordinated with Hansen’s  Disease Clinic in Baton Rouge to provide Hansen’s Disease Training for NWA School Nurses per CIV.
  13. Para Pro Training
  14. Healthteacher.com taught to Elkins faculty – health, p.e. and nurses, K-12.
  15. Technical Assistance to St. Paul 21st Century Grant
  16. Partnering to host Pediatric Procedures Skill Training by ACH staff to School Nurses (pilot).

Personnel

Kelli Butcher

kelli.butcher@arkansas.gov