Thursday, November 21, 2024
11/21/2024
“Children need to be healthy to learn; and educated to be healthy. Health and education must continue to work together at the state and local level to meet the health and educational needs of Missouri’s children. This collaboration has never been more important. Missouri has made a great deal of progress integrating health education and health related services into the everyday school experience. Realizing there are a variety of individuals within the school setting and the community who can impact the health status of the student, the need for developing a coordinated school health program becomes obvious. No one individual can do it alone, but collectively a great deal can be accomplished.” Forward from Manual for School Health Programs (2014) published by DESE in cooperation with DHSS Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) propose the Missouri Healthy Schools, Successful Students (MHS) program to improve student health and academic achievement through nutrition, physical activity and management of chronic conditions. Missouri citizens of all ages are suffering from increasing levels of obesity and chronic diseases at an alarming rate. The most recent Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) revealed 16.6% of Missouri high school students were obese, only 28.6% met daily physical activity recommendations (¿ 60 minutes daily) and only 9.6% ate vegetables three or more times/day. Through promoting physical activity and education, access to healthier food options and better chronic disease management, MHS will provide Missouri students with lifelong advantages built upon positive health behaviors and academic achievement established during youth. MHS will leverage successful collaborations, communications infrastructure and established professional relationships forged between state agencies along with unique expertise of a myriad of partners joined through an established coalition (Missouri Coordinated School Health Coalition) to strategically invest resources provided by the 1801 funding opportunity. MHS will implement the required strategies and activities statewide over the 5-year project period using a regionally phased approach. Activities will begin in Year 1 with seven priority local education agencies (37 schools comprising 17,380 students) and activities will be disseminated and replicated in Years 2-5 through a network of established and expanded partnerships with a well-qualified training cadre. The regionally clustered, diverse priority local education agencies (LEAs) were identified due to high chronic disease prevalence, health disparities and negative factors that influence health behaviors of students at-risk for poor academic performance. MHS will u tilize results from the priority LEAs to expand professional development, training and technical assistance over the course of five years to positively impact Missouri students statewide. The Centers of Disease Control’s (CDC) investment in 1801 will allow MHS: to improve health promotion infrastructure, knowledge and behaviors in Missouri schools through targeted professional development and training to school professionals; to support implementation of policies that reduce access to unhealthy foods; to improve the amount of physical activity that students receive; and to bolster care coordination for students with chronic conditions. The program evaluation and performance measurement plan will enable continuous assessment and feedback on program implementation and outcomes, allowing for adjustment to activities and improved professional development, training and technical assistance that maximize the impact and reach of the program.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
