Weekly Insider 25.06.2009

The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools Weekly Insider is a web-enhanced newsletter that offers news alerts, grant announcements and general web site updates delivered directly to your email box on a weekly basis. The Center is located at the School of Public Health and Health Services at The George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, D.C.



New Resources
 
The Urban Institute and DC Alliance of Youth Advocates have released a new report, On the Road to Adulthood: A Databook about Teenagers and Young Adults in the District, which identifies the various issues affecting DC youth today.

The Economic Impact of Uninsured Children on America, a new publication by the Baker Institute for Public Policy of Rice University, identifies that extending health insurance to children throughout the US would not only be less costly than letting children remain uninsured, but would serve to generate economic benefits.

Local School Wellness Policies – How Are Schools Implementing the Congressional Mandate?, a new report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation describes preliminary evidence on how schools implemented wellness programs in response to the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004.

New from the Center

The Center has released Issue Brief #2, Partnering with Parents and Families to Support Immigrant and Refugee Children at School, written by Eileen Gale Kugler. The issue brief provides background on the impact of the immigrant and refugee experience on children and youth and the importance of engaging the entire family in addressing the mental health needs of immigrant and refugee students to build a crucial home-school partnership that may open doors to student success. View Issue Brief #2 here under Publications for Caring Across Communities

On Thursday, May 21, 2pm EST the Center held its third webinar on Understanding the rise in suicide attempts in Latina teens presented by Dr. Luis Zayas, professor at the School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. The webinar examined the high rate of suicide attempts by adolescent Latinas in the US and factors that may contribute to the rate. To access the archived webinar (PowerPoint and audio), click here.


Important Topics

National HIV Testing Day (June 27)

Upcoming Meetings

  • New Orleans, LA: National Association of School Safety and Law Enforcement Officers 40th Anniversary School Security Conference. July 20-22, 2009. For more information and to register for the event, please visit: http://www.nassleo.org/conference.shtml
  • Bellevue, WA: Child and Adult Care Food Program Sponsors Association (TSA) Annual Conference.  September 20-22, 2009. For more information and to register for the event, please visit: http://www.cacfp.org/conference.asp

Previously Posted Meetings

  • Boston, MA: Critical Issues in Urban Special Education: Improving Outcomes for Young Children with Significant Mental Health Needs. July 13-17, 2009. For more information and to register for this event, please visit: http://www.gse.harvard.edu/ppe/k12/programs/use.html
  • New Orleans, LA: 19th Annual CityMatCH Urban Maternal and Child Health Leadership Conference.  August 22-25, 2009. For more information and to register for this event, please visit: http://www.citymatch.org/conf_index.php


Job opportunities

  • National Association of County and City Health Officials – Program Associate for Project Public Health Ready (Washington, DC)
  • University Research Co. – Senior Quality Improvement Advisor for Indicators (Bethesda, MD)
  • Brigham and Women’s Hospital – Birth Equity Coordinator (Boston, MA)
  • Walker School – After School Child Care Worker (Needham, MA)
  • TEAM Schools, A Network of KIPP Schools – School Nurse
  • Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education – Director of Neighborhood-Based Programs (Philadelphia, PA)


    Grant Alerts

    Bubel/Aiken Foundation – Let’s ALL Play: Inclusion in Recreational Programs     (Deadline: 7/31/09)
    The Bubel/Aiken Foundation’s Let’s ALL Play program provides recreational programs to children with special needs.

    Ruddie Memorial Youth Foundation – Ensuring Youth Health and Personal Growth     (Deadline: 7/31/09)
    The Ruddie Memorial Youth Foundation aims to identify and disseminate innovative and effective programs for helping underprivileged youth reach their full potential.

    Have It Your Way Foundation – Grant for Nonprofits (Deadline: 9/15/09)
    The Have It Your Way Foundation supports projects dedicated to improving education, alleviating hunger, preventing disease and youth programs.


    • New Resources

    The Urban Institute and DC Alliance of Youth Advocates have released a new report,     On the Road to Adulthood: A Databook about Teenagers and Young Adults in the District, which identifies the various issues affecting DC youth today. The DC public education system is ranked among the poorest nationwide, youth violence and gang involvement is escalating, as are unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.  In terms of family structures, 58 percent of teenagers in the District live in single female-headed households compared to 25 percent nationwide. In addition to these issues, the report addresses school reform, behavioral practices, health status, and participation in extracurricular activities. Finally, the report delineates four recommendations to help disconnected teenagers and youth in the District. 

    The Economic Impact of Uninsured Children on America, a new publication by the Baker Institute for Public Policy of Rice University, identifies that extending health insurance to children throughout the US would not only be less costly than letting children remain uninsured, but would serve to generate economic benefits. It is estimated that one in seven Americans are uninsured, which can be party attributed to the rising health insurance premiums making insurance unaffordable. Texas reports the highest percentage of uninsured children at 21.4 percent. Insurance status has a direct influence on health care utilization. For instance, children insured for part of the year receive 50 percent more health care than children with no insurance throughout the year. Finally, uninsured children were more likely to report being in fair or poor condition when compared to insured children 33 percent of the time. The report concludes by describing the economic cost to uninsured children in the US.   

    Local School Wellness Policies – How Are Schools Implementing the Congressional Mandate?, a new report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation describes preliminary evidence on how schools implemented wellness programs in response to the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004. Given that nearly one-third of US children and teens are overweight or obese, much needs to be done to improve nutrition and physical activities. Evaluation of school responses showed that the majority of US school districts did create a local school wellness policy by the 2006/2007 school year, but they were weak and inconsistent. Also, school districts have strengthened their nutritional guidelines. However, most school districts have not provided specific requirements or opportunities for physical education and activity. This report concludes with identification of research options and recommendations for school policies while Congress works to reauthorize this legislation. 
     

    Job opportunities

    National Association of County and City Health Officials – Program Associate for Project Public Health Ready  (Washington, DC)
    The National Association of County and City Health Officials is seeking a Program Associate. Responsibilities include participating in project planning and coordination, serving as a staff liaison, providing technical assistance to local health departments, developing resource material, and promoting activities of project. For more information and to apply to this position, please visit:  http://careers.apha.org/jobdetail.cfm?job=3142059

    University Research Co. – Senior Quality Improvement Advisor for Indicators  (Bethesda, MD)
    University Research Co. is seeking a Senior Quality Improvement Advisor for Indicators. Responsibilities include coordinating the development of quality of care indicators for HIV, possibly malaria and TB, developing protocols and tools for data collection, coordinating activities of working groups, and assisting the Ministries of Health to improve management and quality of care. For more information and to apply to this position, please visit: http://www.publichealthjobs.net/search/detail.cfm?jobID=8370

    Brigham and Women’s Hospital – Birth Equity Coordinator  (Boston, MA)
    The Brigham and Women’s Hospital is looking for a Birth Equity Coordinator. Responsibilities include participating in the development and implementation of initiatives focusing on preconception health, prenatal care, postnatal care, etc., assisting with coordinating existing programs, and providing support for multidisciplinary neighborhood coalitions. For more information and to apply to this position, please visit: http://www.publichealthjobs.net/search/detail.cfm?jobID=8375  

    Walker School – After School Child Care Worker (Needham, MA)
    The Walker School is looking for a part-time After School Child Care Worker in an after-school program for children with emotional and behavioral needs. Responsibilities include planning and implementing afterschool activities for students ages 4-13 years, providing homework help, and behavioral support. For more information and to apply to this position, please visit:   http://www.idealist.org/if/i/en/av/Job/341850-171 

    TEAM Schools, A Network of KIPP Schools – School Nurse (Newark, NJ)
    TEAM Schools is looking for a School Nurse. Responsibilities includes ensuring health records are received, that immunizations and physicals are up to date, providing vision and auditory screenings, administering student medications, communicating with parents regarding health issues, and responding to any health related emergency throughout the day. For more information and to apply to this position, please visit: http://www.idealist.org/if/i/en/av/Job/341821-195

    Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education – Director of Neighborhood-Based Programs (Philadelphia, PA)
    Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education is looking for a Director of Neighborhood-Based Programs. Responsibilities include providing input on program design, implementation and improvement, collecting data, hiring and managing employees, and forming strategic partnership with community-based organizations, schools, and agencies. For more information and to apply to this position, please visit: http://www.opportunityknocks.org/JobseekerX/ViewJob.asp?JobID=Rj4TW3yWiwdfuspWCmq%2Bvm6AWFmP&Keywords=school+AND+health