The Technical Assistance and Evaluation Center has a variety of ongoing initiatives. Here is a brief listing:

Overweight/Obesity

Adolescent Self Management (ASM) Touch Screen: Six SBHCs and two additional sites are working with MU to further develop the ASM Touch Screen. Preliminary reports from the initial sites note improvements around healthy lifestyle behaviors utilizing the touch screen technology with the 5-2-1 message. The Touch Screen technology allows the students to self report lifestyle behaviors along with the option to complete an action plan where improvements can be made. The student and provider use this information for assessment, goal setting and follow up.

Mental Health

Expanded School Mental Health Initiative: The TA Center provides technical assistance and staff support for this joint effort led by the Bureau for Behavioral Health, Children’s Division and the WV Department of Education. The ESMH Steering Team is developing a long-term, strategic plan for expansion of school mental health services to reduce barriers to learning. The National Assembly on School Based Health Care selected WV as the pilot state for their Mental Health Capacity Building Project. This project will continue with technical support from NASBHC until 2011. For more information about the Expanded School Mental Health Initiative, see the information under Mental Health Tool Kits

In FY 2009 the Children’s Division of the Bureau for Behavioral Health awarded grants to seven organizations to support a one year planning process for ESMH. The TA Center is working with the grantees to assist them in developing their programs.

Oral Health

The TA team is now working with other groups to develop the capacity of schools and health providers to expand school based dental services. A recent funding initiative of the Benedum Foundation and the Appalachian Regional Commission awarded 17 grants to communities for equipment and some operating support for comprehensive school based or school linked dental health services. The Request for Proposals, a background paper on school oral health in West Virginia as well as additional resources for providing school-based oral health services can be found at Oral Health Tool Kits

First Round grantees met in late August for training on documentation of school-based oral health activity and to share their plans. Aggregate reports from this project will be provided at least annually. This data will provide a baseline of information that can be used for a statewide surveillance program. The data collection tool is the gold standard for the CDC and has been adapted by MU Staff to be compatible with the various projects. Second round grantees were announced in early December, and will follow the same training and protocol as previously mentioned. This program has been chosen to be highlighted at the Annual National Oral Health Conference sponsored by the CDC and State and Territorial Dental Directors. Staff will travel to St. Louis, Missouri in late spring for this honor.

In the spring of this year the MU TA Center received funding from the Benedum Foundation to work with the WV Office of Maternal, Child and Family Health’s Oral Health Program for development of a state oral health plan. Currently, WV does not have this valuable document that would help to bring additional funding from the Centers for Disease Control, American Dental Association and other funding agencies. This effort involves the entire TA staff and will allow for much- needed data collection regarding oral health issues in WV. The final document is expected to be announced by the WV State Oral Health Advisory Committee in early 2010.

TA Staff has been asked to provide information on the status of oral health in WV for the 2009-2010 Legislative Interims. The first of these special sessions was held in mid-November with MU Staff providing input into the agenda, research and data. Select Committee D Oral Health will continue to meet over the upcoming session, and play a vital role in state health plan development.

West Virginia Partners for Oral Health: MU staff serves as the lead for the partnership, which consists of organizations, business, professional associations and others with an interest in oral health. The partnership activities include providing policy briefs annually to law makers, maintaining a listserv and website devoted to oral health activities in WV, and acting as an oral health resource. The 2010 Legislative agenda policy brief is currently being developed. More information can be found at WV Partners for Oral Health

West Virginia Perinatal Partnership: MU staff serves on the steering committee of this project focused on improving the perinatal care of WV women. Additionally, MU staff serves as staff personnel to the Committee on Oral Health. Since, the development of the Partnership in 2007, guidelines and recommendations have been developed and continue to be a work in progress. Most recently, staff worked alongside policy makers in addressing the need for dental coverage for all WV Medicaid women. MU staff was invited to participate in the American Public Health Association’s Annual Conference. Staff traveled to Philadelphia to give a presentation on the efforts made in WV to improve oral health access. In addition staff has also been requested to participate in the National OMCFH Meeting in spring of 2010. More information can be found at WV Perinatal Partnership

Collaboration

The MU team works with various state and local agencies to improve children’s health in WV. A few of the recent meetings and projects that included support from this team are:

MU and the WV Division of Primary Care jointly presented the WV Performance Effectiveness Review Tool (PERT) work that was done in conjunction with the Center for Rural Health Development to their Board of Directors.

MU staff serves on the WV Asthma Coalition School & Pediatrics subcommittee. 2010 planning is currently underway. Data are being analyzed from the study looking at asthma absences. In addition, eight WV schools have been certified as “Asthma Friendly Schools”. The first asthma-friendly school is Meadow Bridge in Fayette County. The Asthma Friendly school award will continue to be promoted. Encourage your SBHCs to work with their school staff and be recognized for having an asthma friendly school!

MU staff attends WVSBHA quarterly executive team meetings as well as participates in the Communications Team meetings. Most recently one team member assisted with the transition related work in the hiring and orientation of a new Executive Director for the WVSBHA. Additional work included updating the Standards & Guidelines with the public comments and executive team recommendations and participating with a group to ensure the continuation of a state wide report of SBHC activity.

MU staff is working in conjunction with the WV Coalition Against Domestic Violence to promote domestic violence awareness among health professionals, and in particular the development of materials and continuing educating programs.

BMI and risk factor reports were completed for the schools using Clinical Fusion software.

MU is working with the WV Department of Education Office of Healthy Schools to explore collaborative opportunities for funding of school based health services through WVDE and other funding streams.

Workshops

The MU team is involved is the planning of a number of workshops and conferences every year. Workshops that occurred over the summer months include:

March 31 & April 1, 2010 - School-Community Oral Health Meeting and Conference to be held at John 23rd Conference Center located in Charleston, WV (Day one will be ARC/Benedum Grantees Meeting, Day Two will be a Statewide School Oral Health Conference)

June 10 & 11, 2010 - School Health Services Conference for School Nurses and School Health Centers with the WV Department of Education

August 2010 - Back to School Workshop (date TBA)