A partnership amongst the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, Healthy Environments Active Living (HEAL) Program, the Ogden School District and Duchesne County School District, along with two local health departments will collaboratively implement strategies to strengthen an essential infrastructure that promotes Utah students’ engagement in healthy behaviors and enhances the ability of those living with chronic conditions to learn tools to self-manage. This statewide partnership will help protect and improve the health and well-being of school-age children and adolescents in targeted communities.
The Ogden and Duchesne School Districts have current strategic plans in place which are designed to address the health and well-being of the students; the addition of evidence-based programs will only enhance the activities that are currently taking place at the school level. Outcomes include both school districts hiring a 100% FTE program coordinator. HEAL will dedicate one Statewide Schools Grant Coordinator to fulfill the project implementation at the state and local school district levels. Partners will also have access to a statewide School Nurse Consultant to provide an orientation and training to school nurses on policies and management techniques of chronic health conditions amongst Utah students.
By the end of the funding period, HEAL along with the two local health departments and school districts within the Ogden and Duchesne areas will have focused their efforts within the context of the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child model to: establish key partnerships to support school health programs; promote dissemination and implementation of CDC school health guidelines, tools, and resources through Professional Development and Technical Assistance; and use action planning to implement physical activity, school nutrition, and school health policies, practices, programs, and services within state and local education agencies, schools, and out-of-school time settings.
