The Macon County School System began its School Health Program
in the fall of 1997 by contracting with Macon County General Hospital
for the services of 1.5 school nurses. This enabled our school system
to have the hospital and its administration as a valuable resource.
Since beginning the school nurse program, it has grown from 1.5 to 4.5
school nurses providing varied health services to students and staff.
Initially, the nurses served as "lice patrol." Gradually, it became a
more comprehensive school health program. Today, our school health
professionals perform procedures, first aid, hearing/vision
screenings, immunizations, health education, and coordination of
health, dental, and mental health services. The school nurses are also
a valuable resource to school administration through home visits,
court appearances, and one-on-one counseling with students/parents.
School attendance rates have improved, especially in grades K-8,
largely due to the effectiveness of the school nurses. Since the
inception of the school health program, the Director of School Health
Services submits an annual report to the Board of Education and to
Macon County General Hospital outlining school health accomplishments
and goals. The school health program has an annual review by both the
School Health Advisory Council (SHAC), and the Community Health
Council. Even with those improvements, there was still a greater need
for service. As in most school systems with limited resources, the
focus is on the "effect" and not the "cause" operating on the premise
that the "squeaky wheel gets the grease." Thus, the Coordinated School
Health Program (CSHP) Grant was initiated and a proposal was submitted
on February 27, 2001. After months of anticipation, the TN Department
of Education issued this state-funded grant to 10 counties in TN, and
Macon County was one of these. Through this grant, past fragmented
approaches to school health will be eliminated and "coordination" will
be the key to a sound school health program.
Through this funding, a full-time CSHP Coordinator was employed. The
Drug-Free Coordinator was extended to full-time with a combined title of
Health Educator to expand on current health curriculum. The school nurse
program was extended from 4.5 to 6.5 school nurses. Now, there is a
full-time nurse in six of the seven schools and a part-time nurse at one
of the schools. Coordinated school health is about removing barriers to
learning for all students so they can lead healthier, more productive
lives. These barriers to learning can vary from child to child and may
include illness, hunger, pain, etc. Coordination is achieved through
support of the following eight components: 1) Comprehensive School Health
Education; 2) Family and Community Involvement; 3) School-site Health
Promotion for Staff; 4) School Counseling, Psychological, and Social
Services; 5) Healthy School Environment; 6) Physical Education; 7) School
Health Services; 8) School Nutrition Services. School staff, parents,
school nurses, etc. can collaborate their efforts to help students reach
their maximum potential in learning and growing healthy by utilizing the
aforementioned components. The two pilot schools for the CSHP are Westside
Elementary and Red Boiling Springs Elementary/High School. The other five
schools will be included 2001/2002. All seven schools will have an active
CSHP within three years. As part of this collaborative effort, a School
Health Advisory Council (SHAC) has been established and each of the two
pilot sites has a School Health Team (SHT). The SHAC works closely with
the local Community Health Council. The School Health Index, which is an
assessment tool of strengths and weaknesses in physical education and
nutrition, has been completed in the two pilot schools. The SHTs will
utilize this assessment tool and develop an action plan to strengthen
weaknesses based on their school’s recommendations. The SHTs will meet on
a monthly basis and evaluate their progress, and recommend changes as
needed. The focus of the CSHP is to improve in the following areas: 1)
Tobacco use prevention, education, and cessation efforts; 2) Physical
education and fitness activities to counteract sedentary lifestyles; 3)
Nutrition education and promotion of healthy eating habits; 4) HIV/AIDS
prevention education. The mission of the Macon County School Health
Program is to provide a quality Coordinated School Health Program based on
scientific knowledge, that fosters wellness and health promotion and is
designed to support the education goals and vision of the Macon County
School System. The vision of the Macon County Coordinated School Health
Program is to be the leader in coordinating school health by achieving
optimum outcomes on all indicators of school health, child wellness, and
community involvement. Linking all eight components will be a work in
progress and will take several years to build a seamless, successful
program. We offer decisive school leaders who are focused on health as a
priority to make a critical difference in improving the lives of children.
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