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MASBHC Back to School Newsletter
September 2014 Newsletter 

SBHC Spotlight: Bollman Bridge Wellness Center 
The Howard County Health Department in collaboration with the Howard County Public School system and the Howard County Government, opened Howard County's first school-based wellness center located at Bollman Bridge Elementary School in Jessup, Maryland.

The Bollman Bridge Wellness Center provides preventive and primary health care services to children throughout the school day and is open 5 days a week. 
The center is staffed by a full-time nurse practitioner, who is the clinician providing the medical services; a full-time medical office assistant that registers patients, performs health measurements, obtains specimens; a full-time licensed social worker who provides mental health services; and physician Dr. Jackie Douge, who oversees the medical care and the program.

All services require enrollment in the program and written consent from the parents and/or guardians. Children of Bollman Bridge staff can also be enrolled and seen. 
In its first year, the wellness center enrolled 346 children in the program  
(46% of the school) resulting in a total of 122 unduplicated visits (35% user rate) and 215 visits overall. In addition, Bollman Bridge is one of the only wellness centers in the state providing mental health services. Thus far, the mental health counselor has held 211 sessions with students. 
The key to Bollman Bridge's successful enrollment has been the support of the local county government and the support of of the school principal, Jonathan Davis. Principal Davis saw the need for a wellness center and was instrumental in gearing up support from the staff and the school families. 

 

Bollman Bridge Wellness Center services include:

  • Annual/Camp/Sports Physicals
  • Immunizations (including flu vaccines)
  • Treatment for illnesses: Strep throat, ear infections and more
  • Management of obesity, asthma, and other stable chronic illnesses

  • Behavioral health counseling: sadness, anger and other concerns    

 

For more information on Bollman Bridge Elementary Wellness Center click here 

 

To feature your SBHC in our next newsletter contact Sapna Hencinski at shencinski.masbhc@gmail.com 
Promoting Your SBHC 

SBHC's around the country primarily provide health care services to students, however according to the School-Based Health Alliance 2010-2011 Census
, nearly 70% of SBHCs around the country are also providing services to parents, siblings, students from neighboring schools, out of school youth, and other community members. Considering that an SBHCs services can be so far reaching, promoting 
your SBHC is critical to reaching not only the student population but the greater community as well. Use the poster templates below to spread the word around your school about your wellness center

Poster Templates Promoting SBHCs:
New Back to School Immunization Requirements 
macro photograph of a doctor vaccinating a child

Beginning with the 2014-15 school year, there are new school immunization requirements, as outlined in COMAR 10.06.04.03. These new requirements will impact Kindergarten and 7th grade students. Please see the chart below for the new requirements and below for additional resources. 
Grade Level
New Immunization Requirements
Kindergarten Students
Varicella: Two (2) doses of Varicella vaccine are required for Kindergarten
7th Grade Students
Tdap: A single dose of Tdap vaccine  is required for all students entering 7th grade

Meningococcal (MCV4): A single dose of MCV4 vaccine  is required for all students entering 7th grade

 

Click here to read the full DHMH memo to VFC Providers about the new 2014-2015 school immunization requirements. 

 

Click here to visit the DHMH "Back to School" website for more information. 
September is Attendance Awareness Month

Atte
ndance Works is a national initiative that promotes policies and progra
ms that support schoo
l attendance. Next month Attendance Works will recognize its second 'Attendance Awareness Month.' The goal Attendance Awareness Month is to mobilize schools and communities to value and promote good attendance. Attendancesworks.org has a plethora of resources for schools such as toolkits, promotional materials, and an interactive action map. In addition, they have a handout that is specific to health providers on why attendance matters for the health of students. Visit attendanceworks.org for more information and click here for the "Why Attendance Matters for Health Providers" 
handout. Be sure to spread the word about Attendance Awareness Month. 
Flu Season Preparation 

With the start of the school year, flu season is right around the corner. Flu season typically kicks off in the fall and hits its peak between January and February. The flu vaccine can protect you and those around you and can prevent people at risk for a more serious flu illness. See below for resources on influenza and vaccine information. 
Revised Maryland Guidelines for a State Code of Discipline

In July 2014 a working group of stakeholders and district representatives from all over the state completed the revised guidelines for the State Code of Conduct of Discipline. Stakeholders consisted of teachers, advocacy organizations, professional associations, and school staff. The purpose of the revised guidelines is to give school districts a framework to use in establishing their own local codes of conduct as well as creating new, updated policies. According to MSDE: 
 
"These guidelines include behavioral expectations for all members of the school community who have a direct impact on creating healthy teaching and learning environments and on promoting student success.  They also provide: suggested prevention, intervention, restorative, and incentive-based strategies to respond to student misconduct; other factors for local districts to consider in revising their policies; and detailed explanations of specific behaviors that are not permitted"
AFHK Webinar: Making the Case for School Wellness 

Action for Healthy Kids will be holding a webinar on how to engage the community in your school wellness center. Before telling your school community how to change, you have to give them the "why." Learn how to build awareness, support and momentum for creating healthier school environments by talking about the obesity crisis and the learning connection, reviewing current school customs and sharing best practices and success stories. This webinar will also teach you how to answer common questions and concerns about your school wellness initiatives. The webinar will take place on Wednesday September 17th from 12pm to 1pm. 
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