Sequoia District Kicks Off $4.5 Million Healthy Schools Initiative

San Mateo County Supervisors Supportive

Click Here to Watch the YouTube video of the Board of Supervisors Presentation

Directors Don Horsley, Kim Griffin, Art Faro and Katie Kane presented details of Sequoia Healthcare District’s innovative partnership with four school districts to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors Tuesday, Aug. 24, kicking off a three-year, $4.5 million commitment to improving the health of more than 23,000 public school children in central and southern San Mateo County.

The healthcare district/schools collaboration has been dubbed the Healthy Schools Initiative, based upon the federal Center for Disease Control’s Coordinated School Health model as promulgated by the California Department of Education, the California Department of Health Services, the San Mateo County offices of education and health services and others.

The Healthy Schools Initiative will pay for four additional school nurses, four wellness coordinators, three school psychologists, three health educators, and three physical education teachers. It will help expand Safe Routes to School programs and school gardens, among other program priorities.

The news was delivered to supervisors appropriately enough during back-to-school week. Nonetheless, busy administrators from the schools attended to show their support for the program.

Redwood City School District Superintendent Jan Christensen attended, as did Sequoia High School District Superintendent James Lianides. Belmont-Redwood Shores Superintendent Dr. Emerita Orta-Camilleri and San Carlos School District Superintendent Craig Baker were welcoming students back to class at the time and could not attend, but sent representatives. The four districts are primary partners and beneficiaries of Healthy Schools and worked with Sequoia Healthcare District CEO Lee Michelson and staff to iron out its particulars.

Sequoia Union High School District has 8,200 9–12 students, Redwood City School District has 9,200 K–8 students, San Carlos School District has 3,000 K–8 students, and the Belmont-Redwood Shores School District has 3,250 K–8 students.

Healthy Schools Initiative priorities are to help public schools restore and replace school nurses and student health programs that have been cut from budgets repeatedly as school funding has dwindled over the past several years.

Ironically, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors presentation came on the same day that the California Legislature announced it would delay payment of more than $3 billion in local school funds because the Legislature and the Governor have not yet passed a budget.

State Superintendent of Schools Jack O’Connell said this “massive hit” to school finances will mean that some school districts in California will be forced to borrow money to cover expenses and repay it with interest.

Sequoia Healthcare District began funding school nurses three years ago through its Caring Community grant awards, which represent about one tenth of the district’s support for community health programs.

The Redwood City School District successfully appealed for $100,000 in funding at that time, avoiding the layoff of a school nurse for its 9,200 kids and allowing the district to provide quality service to students. School officials pointed out that school nurses’ jobs today go far beyond tending to playground scrapes and fevers — the law mandates they oversee insulin injections and dispensing of powerful medicines for a host of conditions, be responsible for students with grave physical disabilities and much more.

Sequoia Healthcare District directors responded by funding that nurse position and augmented and expanded its support the following year to 3.5 full-time equivalents in three school districts.

This spring Pamela Kurtzman, at the time director of the district’s HeartSafe Program, presented an analysis to the Board, which resulted in the Coordinated School Health model being adopted and funded.

“This is a very proactive, preventative program because it really gets to the root of a major healthcare issue, the health of our children,” Sequoia Healthcare District Board of Directors President Don Horsley said.

“The problems of childhood obesity — one in four of our children is overweight or obese — diabetes, lack of exercise and poor nutrition only come back to haunt our communities later with increased demand for long-term drug and other therapies, pressure on our hospitals and clinics and a burden on emergency rooms.”

Dr. Orta-Camilleri, superintendent of the Belmont-Redwood Shores School District, drew a direct connection between health and learning.

“Health has a strong correlation to learning,” she said. “Health and nutrition and having a strong physical body are key for having a productive mind.”

The structure of Healthy Schools developed over time and involved top administrators of the healthcare and school districts.

Progress will be evaluated  throughout  the three-year period to determine priorities and strategies and measure program impact.

Directors of the healthcare district approved the program and budget at their meeting June 9 with Directors Don Horsley, Kim Griffin, Art Faro and Katie Kane in favor.

The San Carlos School District was the first to start putting the program in place when Tierra Linda Middle School Principal Dr. Lesley Martin was named the district’s wellness coordinator on June 18. Additional staff is coming online every week.

“Coordinated School Health is a systematic approach that links schools, families, and communities with a health-focused lifestyle, and the Healthy Schools Initiative represents numerous community partnerships”, said Ms. Kurtzman, “Physical education, health education, and nutrition services have been priorities of a number of community agencies including the Get Healthy San Mateo Community Task Force.”

“The Healthy Schools Initiative is designed to improve student health outcomes and support the connection between good health practices, academic achievement, and lifetime wellness,” she concluded.

PAMELA KURTZMAN

Pamela Kurtzman has a master’s degree in public health and previously worked at Stanford Prevention Research Center in heart disease research and as an Exercise Physiologist for cancer patients and survivors.

She came to Sequoia Healthcare District in August, 2006 to implement the district’s new HeartSafe program, which finances placement of automated external defibrillators in schools, community centers, city facilities, recreation areas, senior citizens’ centers and numerous locations throughout Sequoia Healthcare District.

These devices are designed to be used to restart heartbeat after sudden cardiac arrest and can be used without training.

HeartSafe also coordinates cardio-pulmonary resuscitation training and certification and has trained more than 7,500 community members.

HeartSafe continues at the district under the direction of Glenn Nielsen.

SEQUOIA HEALTHCARE DISTRICT

Formed in 1947 to build Sequoia Hospital, Sequoia Healthcare District today is a major funder of community health initiatives on a number of fronts in the area it serves, which extends from Belmont to Menlo Park, Skyline Boulevard to San Francisco Bay. The area encompasses the cities of Belmont, San Carlos, Redwood City, Woodside, Atherton, Menlo Park, Portola Valley, the unincorporated area of Redwood Shores and a small part of Foster City.

It is a major contributor to Sequoia Hospital Foundation’s efforts to equip Sequoia Hospital with state-of-the-art medical facilities and technology.

The district also funds a collaborative nurse education program in conjunction with Cañada College and San Francisco State University.

It is the major funder of three free community clinics — Samaritan House, North Fair Oaks and Ravenswood.

Its $1 million annual program also funds the community healthcare programs of 32 nonprofit organizations, providing everything from free hot meals (St. Anthony’s Dining Room) to school gardens (Collective Roots) to ombudsman services for the elderly who live in assisted housing facilities (Ombudsman Services of San Mateo County).

Its five-member board of directors is publicly elected.

HIGHLIGHTS AND KEY STRATEGIES
HEALTHY SCHOOLS INITIATIVE

School Health

Apply integrated, age- and developmentally-appropriate health education

Promote youth skills needed to avoid risky behaviors (alcohol, drug and tobacco use, sedentary lifestyle, sexual behaviors)

Involve parents, health professionals and concerned community

Physical Activity

Increase physical activity at school and in the community

Collaborate with other agencies working on similar issues

Educate parents on nutrition and physical activity

Use tools such as the Fit Fun Game Guide, developed by the Redwood City School District Wellness Committee, to increase classroom opportunities for fitness activities

Implement Safe Routes to Schools to help get kids out of cars and to school safely

Nutrition (working in concert with Food Services Directors)

Bring farmers markets to low-resource, low-income neighborhoods

Increase the number of community and school gardens

Implement a high-quality nutrition education campaign

Provide access to varied, nutritious, culturally appropriate, good-tasting food

Work with community, county, state and federal agencies to obtain and coordinate resources

Environment

Provide a safe, appealing, supportive physical environment that supports learning

Develop a data collection system for assessing and monitoring the school environment and use it

Support leaders to create and sustain the environment

Family and Community Involvement

Form partnerships with schools, families, community groups and individuals, encouraging sharing resources and expertise

Plan jointly to develop relevant messages and services