Season Greetings from the WV School-Based Health Assembly!

Be Counted! Please Complete the National School-Based Health Center Census
The national census is the only tool that provides both data for school-based health centers and is critical for our efforts to gain more attention and support for SBHCs from Congress and funders. Your help is requested to ensure WV has a 100% participation rate. Please visit www.nasbhc.org/census to fill out your survey before the first week in January 2009. For more information, e-mail Eileen Barker, WVSBHA co-coordinator at ewbarker@suddenlink.net or Alicia Newell, NASBHC contact, at anewell@nasbhc.org.

School-Based Health Center Staff Feedback is needed!
The School-Health Technical Assistance and Evaluation Center staff at Marshall University is planning for future activity and is asking for your feedback about training and technical assistance needs. Please take a few minutes to respond to online needs assessment developed specifically with West Virginia SBHCs in mind by the end of December 2008.  In order to determine the needs of everyone providing school-based health services, each SBHC staff member is asked to complete the survey by clicking here. If you have any questions about the study, you may contact Dr. Crespo at 304-691-1193 or Paula Fields at 304-846-9739.

Are You Interested in Starting a School-Based Health Center?
You are not on the journey alone. Developed with support from the Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati (HFGC), The National Assembly on School-Based Health Care (NASBHC) Road Map To Success (Road Map) is a tool to help you during the early stages of considering a SBHC through the first two years of operation. The Road Map is like having the trunk of your car filled with resources, tools, policies and procedures, samples, and links that will make your trip a little easier. A webinar on this dynamic new tool will be held on January 28, 2009. To register please send an email to Tiffany Clarke at tclarke@nasbhc.org with the webinar title in the subject line or call (202) 638-5872. A special thank you to WV staff that contributed resources to the Road Map tool: New River Health Association, Rainelle Medical Center, Tug River Health Association, Cabin Creek Health System, Primary Care System, and Marshall University.

 New Funding For Children’s Oral Health
 The Appalachian Regional Commission and the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation have collaborated to fund a $500,000 grant for children’s oral health in West Virginia.  The purpose of this grant is to increase access to preventative dental services for youth in West Virginia through school-community partnerships.  Funding from these agencies will be used to support schools and their local communities to provide preventative services. This project will be implemented by offering small community grants in the range of $15,000 to $25,000 to schools and community groups that want to implement preventative services.  Applicants must show collaboration between the school, local dentists and other health care organizations such as primary care centers and health departments. For more information, please contact Richard Crespo, PhD, 1600 Medical Center Dr., Huntington, WV  25701, or telephone (304)691-1193.  

Are you looking for funding to help promote physical activity opportunities?
The West Virginia on the Move (WVOM) - Schools on the Move Grant program is offering up to $5,000 for up to ten WV schools - PreK-12. WVOM is seeking applications from schools that are planning projects that make at least two school environmental changes that increase physical activity opportunities and levels of participation for students, staff, and families during the 2009-2010 school year. Applications are due February 15, 2009. For additional information and application downloads go to the WVOM website at www.wvonthemove.net.

WV Children’s Health Insurance Expansion
Effective January 1, 2009, the West Virginia Children’s Health Insurance Program will expand its health coverage for children by increasing the upper income limit for participation from 220% to 250% of the federal poverty level. Families with incomes above 200% FPL must agree to participate through premium payment at a rate of $35.00 per month per single child or at a rate of $71.00 per month for two or more children.  Questions concerning any additional details such as benefits, copayments, requests for applications can be directed to the WVCHIP Helpline at 1-877-982-2447.

New Resources!
The Take Action! Asthma and Diabetes toolkit is now on line (previously only available on CD-ROM.) You can now download fliers, invitations, orientation training manuals, reminders, posters, and medical forms from http://wvde.state.wv.us/takeaction/.

The latest directory of WV School-Based Health Centers is now available on-line at www.wvsbha.org.

Congratulations Are In Order! To Dr. William Neal, director of the CARDIAC Institute at WVU, who received the "No Greater Legacy" award at the 2008 Growing Healthy Children Conference, and to Rosemary Scott, Wood County School Nurse, who was recently elected President of the WV Association of School Nurses.

Upcoming Training and Networking Opportunities
The Coalition for a Tobacco-Free West Virginia "Celebrating 20 Years" conference will be held at the Charleston Marriott on January 29-30, 2009.  There will be a healthcare provider tobacco cessation training offered on the evening of January 28, 2009. Registration forms are available at the Coalition’s website, www.ctfwv.com.  There is a registration fee of $35 for this 2 day conference. 

The Fourth Annual WV Immunization Network Award and Recognition Banquet will be held February 25, 6:00pm at the Charleston Marriot and will feature Michelle Hannah, founder of the Celebrate Life Foundation. For more information, please call the Center for Rural Health Development at 397-4071.

The American Lung Association of West Virginia is offering The Freedom From Smoking facilitator training on February 26-27 at the Days Inn in Flatwoods. To register, please call Freedom From Smoking® Program Specialist, Kelli Caseman at the American Lung Association of West Virginia at 304-342-6600 or 1-800-586-4872.

The Annual Children’s Policy Forum, sponsored by Prevent Child Abuse WV, will be held March 18, 2009 in Charleston, prior to Children’s Day at the Legislature. Stay tuned for more details!

The West Virginia School-Based Health Assembly Annual Meeting will be held April 23, 2009, 1:00-3:00 at Coonskin Park in Charleston. Make plans to join us for this special "reunion" event celebrating our past, present and future!

2009 Spring CE Conference for Social Workers, sponsored by the WV Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, will be held April 29-May 1, 2009 at the Charleston Civic Center. This will be the 25th Conference! For additional details, visit www.naswwv.org.

WV's System of Care is providing a number of exciting learning opportunities for parents and professionals who serve children with special behavioral and emotional needs.  If you’re in need of continuing education units in 2009, or just want to increase your knowledge base, you can link to them all by clicking here.