Key findings include:
 An increase in SBHCs have been in existence for more than 5 years
 A growing number of SBHCs see members of the community beyond the schools they serve
 More SBHCs are using health information technology (HIT) to support their work.
This is important news for SBHCs. The implications for Maine are …. For more in formation please review the report: NASBHC Census Report

Members of the student health center outreach teams at Deering and Portland high schools hosted a breakfast for gubernatorial candidates in the State of Maine Room at City Hall and provided a tour of the health center at Portland High.

Democratic candidates Pat McGowan, Libby Mitchell, John Richardson and Steve Rowe attended the breakfast, along with Republican candidate Peter Mills and Dr. Melanie Cutler, wife of independent candidate Eliot Cutler.

Students said the health centers are a cost-effective, convenient way to provide health care to students. Services range from physical exams and dental cleanings to mental health counseling and birth control for sexually active students.

“We want more school health centers,” said Mandi Arnott, a Deering High senior.

About 94 percent of all visits to Maine’s school-based health centers last year were covered by public or private insurance. About half of all visits were made by students covered by MaineCare, a publicly funded health insurance option for low-income people.

Several students representing the health center at Lewiston High School also attended the breakfast.

Maranacook Students Will Unveil Video Asking Lawmakers to Help Prevent Youth Smoking

Members of the Maranacook Student Health Center Advisory Committee want lawmakers to take action on youth smoking, starting by increasing Maine’s tobacco taxes right away.

On Tuesday, March 23rd, students from the Committee will travel to the State House to unveil their new video calling on lawmakers to raise the tax on cigarettes in order to help prevent youth smoking, and equalize the tax on other tobacco products to keep kids from finding cheaper alternatives, like “little cigars” and chewing tobacco.

Parents and school administrators will also be in attendance. They will express their concern for Maine’s rising smoking rates and the Legislature’s lack of action in raising the price of tobacco products, despite the proven link between higher prices and reduced youth smoking.

WHAT: Press Conference Calling for a Tobacco Tax Increase

WHEN: Tuesday, March 23, 2010 at 10:30am

WHERE: Taxation Committee Room #127, State House, Augusta

WHO: Chuck Hays, Maranacook High School student
Justin Greeley, Maranacook High School student
Emily Allen, Maranacook High School student
Dr. John Barnes, Maranacook parent and Readfield physician
Rich Abramson, Superintendent of Maranacook Area Schools

CONTACT: Carol Kelly (207) 210-0789

(Washington, DC) Tonight, the House voted 219 to 212 to pass the Senate’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (HR 3590). The Senate bill includes two important provisions for school-based health centers (SBHCs): language authorizing a federal SBHC grant program that would provide $50 million over five years, and an emergency appropriation that would provide $200 million for SBHCs over two years.
The following is a statement by Linda Jusczcak, Executive Director of the National Assembly on School-Based Health Care (NASBHC):
“Today’s historic signing marks an unprecedented victory for school-based health centers. On behalf of the 2,000 school-based health centers across the country, we congratulate President Obama, his Administration, and Congress for this great success.
“School-based health centers ensure that more than 1 million children and adolescents across the country gain access to high quality, comprehensive medical care, mental health services, preventive care, social services, and youth development. These services are provided without concern for students’ ability to pay and in a location that meets children and adolescents where they are: at school.
“Now, thanks to this legislation and the path it creates towards future reform, fewer school-based health centers will be forced to shutter their doors because of state budget cuts, and more communities that desire to open a health clinic at their school will have the critical resources to do so.
“We’re proud of the passionate and tireless efforts school-based health center staff, advocates, and students have put into building support for this historic legislation—including creating virtual tours of their clinics, writing hundreds of letters, making thousands of phone calls, and traveling to visit their Members of Congress. We look forward to supporting other health care reform-related provisions through the reconciliation process.”
# # #
The National Assembly on School-Based Health Care (NASBHC) is the national voice for school-based health centers (SBHCs). Founded in 1995 to promote and support the SBHC model, NASBHC’s mission is to improve the health status of children and youth by advancing and advocating for school-based health care. Learn more at www.nasbhc.org.

Submitted by:
Cindy Dolben, RN
School Health Center Coordinator

Please find attached a document outlining the lengthy process that was taken to expand services offered in the Noble Health Center. We hope this will help other health centers considering expanding their services. Patricia Buck-Welton, Proj. Coordinator, Maine Assembly

Microsoft Word – Noble Health Center Service Expansion Plan

Two Calais High Students Present Workshop at The National Assembly on School-Based Health Care (NASBHC) Annual Conference  

 Sean Cavanaugh and Jesse Clark, both long-time members of the Calais Middle/High School Blue Devil Health Center’s Teen Advocacy Group (the TAG Team), recently attended the National Assembly of School-Based Health Center’s annual convention as presenters of a workshop titled Herding Cats!: How One SBHC learned to TAG and Release Youth Advocacy Using the Net. The were assisted and accompanied by Jay Skriletz, the TAG Team advisor and Blue Devil SBHC’s Youth and Community Advocacy Co-coordinator. The convention was attended by over 700 individuals from all corners of the United States, and nearly 50 youth advocacy coordinators, school-based health center administrators and providers, and youth advocates registered for the workshop.

The presentation opened with a brief history of the TAG Team’s first five years. In the overview many projects were discussed, both those that have been big successes and those that were less successful. Time constraints are always a difficulty and one common to many youth advocacy groups. The desire to explore the web for solutions to this difficulty is what led to the discoveries the presentation shared at the conference.

Youth Advocacy is a very important service provided by the school-based health centers. It gives youth a voice in the services that affect them most closely and elicits strong commitments from youth to better their schools, health centers, and communities. Herding Cats! Focused on how various internet tools, many of them beta, or development (and usually free), versions can facilitate the work of youth advocates by encouraging “virtual” meetings and collaborations using the internet. Some of the tools were virtual classrooms like moodle.org and wiziq.com; others are the common social networking sites like facebook.com and twitter.com which, even though are not available on the schools’ web-server, are commonly used by many organizations to connect with similar groups and potential funders; video conferencing sites like skype.com and oovoo.com were also discussed as ways that youth advocates can meet with youth from other schools and also with community partners in several parts of the state without traveling.

Both on-line chatting and video-conferencing were actually used to collaborate with students at Indian Township Elementary School and the staff at the Holocaust and Human Rights Resource Center at the University of Maine in Augusta to make progress on the Telling Truth oral history project the TAG Team contributed to this past year. The virtual classrooms are in regular use as meeting places and bulletin boards that team members use to share information and ideas when their busy schedules make it difficult to meet.

The presentation concluded with the lessons the team has learned during the time spent exploring internet tools. Most importantly is that these tools are no substitute for the bonding that happens in face-to-face meetings. These tools offer support for the working relationships and commitments the Team forges during meetings and celebrations. The presentation was warmly received and both Sean and Jesse were highly regarded as public speakers.

Also, research studies indicate that SBHC’s improve access to acute and chronic care and significantly reduce emergency room visits.  In addition, studies show significantly improved compliance with preventive health measures, improved control of asthma, and fewer school days missed due to illness.  There is also an emerging research indicating that school based health centers positively impact academic performance.

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