Youth Learning and Health Promotion

The Center provides health and learning services for school-age youth to strengthen the relationship between health and student achievement. It is well recognized that the healthfulness of the learning environment contributes significantly to student success and overall educational progress. Promotion of healthy schools and healthy youth are a local, state and national interest - as well as responsibility. Nevada schools and communities require resources for health promotion and wellness to connect services, programs and policies to student need. Doing so provides the greatest opportunity for student achievement, as healthy youth simply learn better and learn more. Youth and public schools need access to resources, networks, practitioners and organizations that can assist them in finding, using and providing better health and wellness with the goal of creating a learning environment for higher student performance and academic readiness. State and national resources – both public and private, are increasingly available and extensive. However, such resources are often overlooked or not accessed due to the absence of a central health and learning proponent dedicated to the mission of health promotion for increasing student achievement.

While health and learning initiatives exist at local, state and national levels – such entities are often not centralized or consolidated for easy access and utilization by youth, schools, educators or the community. Some communities lack even basic healthcare resources, especially in nutritional, mental and behavioral health. Most important, school nurses need ongoing support, professional development, technical assistance and greater access to community resources for doing the important work of health promotion in schools.

In addition, locating providers, obtaining accurate health information, and choosing the right mix of appropriate health services can be challenging. Communities, and especially schools needs an effective network of providing health and mental health information in remote areas, where distance and expense are factors that significantly limit access to needed services. The Center works with youth, parents, parent groups, schools and communities to find resources and professional services to meet the health needs of youth needs economically and efficiently.

Technology offers the ability to organize resources and networks for health and learning economically, effectively, and inexpensively. In addition, today’s youth are very technologically inclined and use technology bases information services extensively. The use of web-based health information has greatly expanded over the past few years and offers the opportunity to provide a clearinghouse that can be accessed through a central state resource and linked to specific community needs and interests. Through these new technologies, the Center helps make direct and indirect referrals to health providers and maintains a comprehensive list of links that can provide an array of accurate health information.

Training for Professionals and Volunteers
Training and professional development for the human service community of providers

The Center provides professional training for highly selected healthcare providers in the fields of clinical and independent social work, marital and family therapy, and substance abuse counseling. The Center is in partnership with university graduate degree programs and faculty to provide internships, field practicum and other clinical and non-clinical training opportunities for professionals. Post-degree internships are also available for a limited number of health practitioners seeking clinical hours for professional licensure in social work and marital and family therapy. The Center also offers volunteer and professional training on selected health topics – with a focus on issues of mental health and responding to crisis and emergency situations.

Health and Wellness Development and Promotion
Health, wellness promotion, mental health information, professional provider referral and proponent of the State Wellness Policy developed by the Nevada State Board of Education

The Center provides its own informational workshops, seminars, training and advisement on many health issues, with a special focus on mental health, wellness and lifelong positive health practices. The Center also provides, advises and refers to community, regional and national programs on emerging health issues, practices and innovations.

The Center is an advocate and proponent of the State School Wellness Policy approved by the Nevada State Board of Education in 2005. This important and essential policy will help guide the standards and practices for sound nutritional choices for school-age youth in Nevada. The Center contributes to this policy by providing health and education program networking; nutritional policy advisement; youth and family health coalition building; local and state grant development and community assistance; health policy advisement and community consultation; after and out-of-school health services and programs; youth developmental asset building; rural mental health assessment and service and data development; analysis and advisement.

Developing Health Resources for Communities
Finding and coordinating funds to support essential human service programs for our communities

The Center provides a statewide clearinghouse to promote grant development and resource identification for the enhancement of programs and services that are linked to schools while not burdening them with new program development, administration or delivery.

Many governmental, non-profit, charitable, civic and private organizations and groups offer resources and grants which could be very effective in addressing the health needs of Nevada youth and their communities. However, many grant opportunities and proposals are not fully explored because of the time and expertise required in applying for and facilitating federal and private grants. The Center works closely with the Nevada Department of Education leadership and staff responsible for grant identification and acquisition as well as facilitating its own grant development work. Coordinating with existing community programs is an effective way to assure the highest probability in being awarded federal and private grants that help address the health needs of youth and adults.

In addition, recognizing that school districts and educational organizations have a primary interest and mission of the delivery of instruction and curriculum, they may not be aware of or capable of accessing unique or innovative resources to help youth learn or live a healthy lifestyle. The Center provides a statewide clearinghouse to promote grant development and resource identification for the enhancement of programs and services that are linked to schools while not burdening them with new program development, administration or delivery.

The Center works to promote a coordinated, centralized, state resource and clearinghouse for health and learning dedicated to organizing resources, seeking new ones, and providing direct, indirect and consultative services.