Build Healthy Futures: Support Health in Schools

2012 has been a banner year for the school-based health care movement. The milestones we’ve reached this year include:

• An additional $75 million in construction and equipment funding was delivered through the Human Resource Services Administration’s School-Based Health Care Capital program. This funding is part of the Affordable Care Act and made possible by your support.
• The school-based health care movement’s profile is increasing with national coverage in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, as well as coverage of school-based health center openings in dozens of local papers.
• NASBHC has grown dramatically throughout 2012, adding seven new staff members and building our capacity to demonstrate the impact of, and provide support for, the school-based health care field.

These accomplishments are made possible by donors like you. Your continued support is critical as we move forward in 2013. We’ve come a long way over the past year and now is not the time to let the momentum stop. The results of the 2012 presidential election present new opportunities and challenges, and together we will bring the school-based health care movement to new heights in 2013 – and beyond.

Updates on NASBHC Projects

Here are a few brief updates on projects we’ve been working on since our last report:

School-Based Health Care Leaders Meet in Washington, DC

NASBHC, along with Presidents and Executive Directors from 15 of NASBHC’s state affiliates, traveled to Capitol Hill immediately following the election to advocate for programs like Medicaid that build strong families and strong communities.

Leaders traveled from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, North Carolina, New Mexico, Ohio and Oregon to discuss how school-based health centers partner with Medicaid to keep students healthy and learning.

NASBHC Prepares to Launch National Youth Advisory Council

We are pleased to announce we’ve received more than a dozen applications for NASBHC’s first ever youth advisory council. We’re combing through them and conducting interviews in hopes that we can convene the first meeting in early December – just in time to get the council’s input on the 2013 School-Based Health Care Awareness Month in February.

This is just the beginning of an exciting effort to increase youth engagement in our work. With your support we will continue to help empower youth and to encourage them to become active participants in their health and education while building the future leaders of the school-based health care movement.

NASBHC Welcomes New Staff

Of the seven new positions in 2012, we’re pleased to welcome four staff members who have joined the team since our last Global Giving update: Matt Even, Database Manager, Rebecca Farber, Program Assistant, Jessica Rosenberg, Program Associate, and Sara Yoeun, Program Assistant.

Matt Even joined NASBHC in 2012 as a Database Manager. Prior to joining NASBHC, Matt coordinated a volunteer program for all first-year students at New York’s SUNY College of Old Westbury. Matt’s previous experience focused on IT and logistical support for non-profits in Washington, including Grantmakers for Children, Youth and Families, and the Federation of State Humanities Councils.  Matt earned his J.D. from the Catholic University of America and his B.A. from the University of Missouri. Matt enjoys exploring new technologies and has a passion for helping organizations best use these new tools.

Rebecca Farber is a Program Assistant for NASBHC’s Programs and Professional Services team. Rebecca has extensive experience in HIV/AIDS and LGBT health issues, both hands-on training and a theoretical background. She worked to prevent LGBT youth suicide by developing education and outreach materials and facilitating workshops at the YES Institute in Miami, Florida. Rebecca earned her certification as a medical case manager for people with HIV/AIDS while working at the Mazzoni Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There, she coordinated and advocated for client access to medical care, state health insurance, and social services. Originally from Miami, Rebecca studied Sociology and Gender/Sexuality Studies at Bryn Mawr College, where she completed an independent research project on globalized medicine and gender norms in Thailand. As a health advocate, Rebecca is thrilled to be at NASBHC and contribute to health care access for all youth and adolescents.

Jessica Rosenberg, MHS, is a Program Associate for Programs and Professional Services at NASBHC. Prior to joining NASBHC, Jessica worked as a research associate at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and at the Center to Reduce Cancer Disparities in Baltimore, where she designed and evaluated studies related to cancer and cancer disparities, including a CMS-sponsored intervention designed to reduce disparities in cancer screening and treatment among African American seniors in Baltimore County. In 2012, Jessica received her Master of Science degree from The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, MD in Epidemiology, with an additional concentration in health disparities and inequalities. She has a dual BS from the University of Miami in Microbiology & Immunology and Spanish Literature.

Sara Yoeun joined the National Assembly of School-Based Health Care in November 2012 as the Program Assistant for the Programs and Professional Services Team.  Prior to joining the NASBHC team, she served as a member of the AmeriCorps:  Philadelphia Health Corps program.  As a Community Health Outreach Associate she provided health promotion, disease prevention, and health education to underserved individuals and families with children with special health care needs.  She developed a passion for public health as she became involved in various research projects within the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention while studying at UNC.  Sara received a bachelor’s in Exercise and Sport Science from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. 

Links:

• NASBHC's Website
• NASBHC's Youth Engagement Page
• NASBHC's State Affiliates