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Press
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FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
City
Council Approves Funding to Create ‘School Nurse Project’ in Berkeley $225,00 from
Alameda County Measure A funds will create new program for elementary
school children and their families to see city public health nurses. Berkeley, CA – Last night, the
City Council approved using $225,000 in new Alameda County Measure A sales
tax revenue to start the School Nurse Project. This new funding will
allow the city to expand its on-going effort to integrate health
and social services for Berkeley children and will pay for the
hiring of health services staff. The new program is a partnership
between the City’s public health and mental health programs and
Berkeley’s public school health services and will be overseen by the
City’s Health and Human Services department. The new staff will
include a full time public health nurse, a half time mental health
clinician, and a half time program coordinator. In addition, the
city’s existing public health nurses and staff will be involved. “Over two years ago, I hosted a
Youth and Education Summit that identified the need to better coordinate
and integrate our services to young people,” said Mayor Tom Bates.
“We are now seeing two years of partnership building and
collaboration bear fruit. Combined
with a federal grant we received in September, we have now raised half a
million new dollars to fund new health and social service programs for our
school children.” “Over the last three decades
public schools have had to take on more and more responsibility for
meeting all of the physical, social, emotional and academic needs of our
students – and we’ve had fewer and fewer dollars with which to do
it,” said BUSD school board president Nancy Riddle.
“This partnership between the City and the School District will
help us provide students with the help they need in order to be
successful. It is important for the community to address the needs of the
whole child, and to specifically address barriers to learning. Health
issues are one of those barriers, and we appreciate this opportunity to
work together in addressing it.” Studies cite school health
activities increase student grade point average and self-esteem, reduce
utilization of asthma-related emergency room visits, improve
teacher-student relationships, improve school attendance, and improve
family involvement in mental health interventions.
The School Nurse Project allows the City and the School District to
implement a coordinated, multi-agency service delivery model that brings
needed resources to students and families through school-based services. Some of the program priorities
include developing referral systems from children or families that need
help, providing case management for children or families with obesity
issues, assistance with immunizations, and consultation regarding mental
health issues. # # # |
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