Dear Members and Friends,

These past few months have been busy and exciting for the school health center movement. At the federal level, we have gained strong footing in health care reform and are working to stay there. In the coming weeks, we will be asking you to lend your voice of support for school health centers. We hope you can join us as we work to create a steady federal funding stream for school health centers.

Closer to home, watch your in box for more details about our 2010 regional conferences coming to Fresno (February 19), Los Angeles (March 9), and Oakland (April 21). These conferences will be tailored to your region and allow you to network with local organizations and draw upon local resources. We'll bring the tools. You bring the passion!

Thank you for helping us put health care where kids are – in schools!

Serena Clayton
Executive Director

Words That Are Worth A Thousand Words
In less than two weeks, school health center staff, students, parents, teachers and school administrators from across California sent us nearly 300 letters (292 to be exact!) addressed to President Obama and California legislators, explaining the benefits of their school health centers and services. We even got letters from 5th graders in West Fresno, where there is no school health center so they wrote about why they need one. “The health centers take care of you because they want you to learn,” wrote one 5th grader. A 12th grader wrote, “I have missed less class, felt a sense of acceptance and belonging, and have been educated in a way that has profoundly helped me.” And said one high school freshman, “The clinic is a sanctuary … to all of us.” The letters will be hand delivered this week to the Washington, D.C. offices of their Congressional representatives.

Sexual Health the Focus of Recent Convening in So Cal
CSHC was proud to be a convener in the first annual Southern California Sexual Health Collaborative Data Summit, held on September 29th at The California Endowment. The event was in collaboration with the California Department of Public Health Sexually Transmitted Disease Control Branch, San Bernardino County Department of Public Health, City of Long Beach 's Department of Health and Services, Westside Family Health Center, Planned Parenthood Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley, Inc., and Planned Parenthood of San Diego and Riverside Counties. The goals of the collaborative are to build capacity in Southern California to address the sexual health needs of the region, and to leverage interdisciplinary partnerships and share best practices to address the sexual health needs of all Southern Californians.

More than 60 people representing multi-disciplinary agencies attended the Data Summit, which provided a forum to identify gaps in data and services. Sang Leng Trieu, CSHC LA Field Coordinator, presented preliminary 2009 NASBHC census data, titled “ Condoms, Contraception, Counseling: Provision of Sexual and Reproductive Health Services at school Health Centers.”

CSHC New Membership Year Has Begun
Our new membership year has begun, and now more than ever, we need your help to grow the movement to put health care where kids are. A donation of at least $100 for individuals or $200 for organizations entitles you to our membership benefits. In addition, we have added two new options to increase the impact of your support. Donate at one of our new elite membership levels Champions for Healthy Kids ($250 for individuals/$500 for organizations) or Advocates for Student Success ($500 for individuals/$1,000 for organizations) and receive additional benefits and recognition.

Maybe you are an organization or school health professional who can benefit from our many resources for school health centers.  Maybe you just want to help more students get access to critically needed school based health services.  Either way, please consider supporting our efforts by becoming a member today. Together we can work toward a future where all students are healthy and successful. (See our membership brochure for more information, or go to our Membership web page to join or support us now.)

School-Based Telehealth Brief
Prepared by The Children's Partnership, School-Based Telehealth: An Innovative Approach to Meet the Health Care Needs of California's Children outlines how telehealth—the use of technology to provide health services at a distance—in schools is emerging as a valuable tool to expand the capacity of schools to meet the health care needs of children, particularly those who are low-income and living in medically underserved areas. This brief is a blueprint for action—laying out practical steps to help California state and community leaders make real the promise of school-based telehealth to improve health outcomes for children. While this brief is geared toward California stakeholders, the lessons learned and recommendations in the brief can be applied to all states. You can learn more about how information technology is transforming health care for children at the Children's Partnership website.

Payless Shoe Giveaway
Payless is providing $1.2 million worth of free shoes to kids in need for the holidays. Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations qualify to apply. Kids will be invited to go to the stores to pick out the shoes themselves during the month of December. Deadline to apply is October 30th. For more information, please go to the Payless website.

Pregnancy Counseling
Sponsor: Center for Health Training
Date: 27 or 28 October 2009 (8:30 am - 4:30 pm)
Place: San Bernardino , CA
Contact: Center for Health Training website
The possibility of a pregnancy can provoke a wide range of feelings and may involve making a significant decision. Staff must be prepared to address the potential complexity of each client's situation. This one-day workshop will help staff gain the knowledge and skills needed to be an effective pregnancy counselor. As a result of this training, participants will be able to: demonstrate the essential counseling skills; describe the guidelines for giving pregnancy test results; and discuss the three pregnancy options.

Approaches to Family Involvement in Family Planning
Sponsor: Center for Health Training
Date: 4 November 2009, 10:00 - 11:30 am
Place: Audio Conference
Contact: Center for Health Training website
This audio conference will explore how family planning staff, in both the community and clinic settings, can help families be involved in a teen's sexual decision-making. It will also include strategies for reaching and communicating with families of adolescents regarding sexuality, reproductive health, contraception and abstinence. Who should attend: all levels of family planning clinic staff, outreach workers, and health educators who have direct contact with adolescent clients.

LA Coalition of School Health Centers Fall meeting
Sponsor: CSHC
Date: 4 November 2009 (1:00 - 4:00 pm)
Place:  LA Care Health Plan, 29th Floor, Los Angeles , CA   90013
Please email Sang Leng Trieu at strieu@schoolhealthcenters.org to RSVP.  Parking will be validated and lunch will be served.  RSVPs are needed to get on the security list to enter the Gas Company building.

Adolescent Health Summit
Sponsor: San Ysidro Health Center, Cox Kids Foundation
Date: 6 November 2009 (7:30 am – 3:15 pm)
Place: San Diego , CA
Contact: www.syhc.org
Join those who work with youth, doctors, nurses, social workers, counselors, educators, trainers, mental health providers and youth for a day of sharing best practices and learning models of excellence in delivering quality and accessible adolescent health care. Presenters include: Angela Diaz, Professor of Pediatrics, Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Director of the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center ; and Leslie Walker, Associate Professor and Division Chief, Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine and Seattle Children's Hospital. This is a no-cost event open to the public.

Family Planning Basics
Sponsor: Center for Health Training
Date: 9-10 November 2009 (9:00 am - 5:00 pm)
Place: Oakland , CA
Contact: Center for Health Training website
The Family Planning Basics course is designed for staff new to family planning, or for those who would like a refresher on the basics. As a result of this training, participants will be able to conduct a basic family planning client-centered counseling session that incorporates: the philosophy of family planning counseling; Federal Title X requirements; confidentiality and informed consent; Reproductive anatomy and physiology; sexuality; contraceptive methods and decision-making; sexually transmitted diseases; and counseling skills.

26th Annual Parent Conference
Sponsor: National Head Start Association
Date: 4-8 December 2009
Place: San Jose , CA
Contact: NHSA website
The conference is designed to help parents— and those who work with or on behalf of parents and their children—advance their knowledge, skills, and abilities. This conference provides a valuable opportunity to gain a better understanding of developmentally appropriate practices, learn critical new skills, broaden awareness, and acquire resources that will enable participants to help Head Start children and their families reach new heights. The conference will offer pre-conference training and more than 100 educational sessions and special events in key areas.

CSHC 2010 Regional Conferences
Sponsor: CSHC
Date: 19 February, 9 March, 21 April 2010
Place: Fresno (19 Feb), Los Angeles (9 Mar), Oakland (21 Ap), CA
These one-day regional meetings will allow you to network with local partners, gain new information and learn about successful advocacy efforts – with less hassle, travel and expense. We'll discuss how to start and fund a school health center, how to create new programs, and how to identify resources. Registration begins in November.  Watch for details!

Parent Leadership Conference
Sponsor: Parents Anonymous
Date: 26 February 2010
Place: Ontario , CA
Contact: Meryl Levine, Parents Anonymous, 909-621-6184 ext 216
This Conference will feature new resources, tools and creative ideas to successfully partner with parent leaders. There will be exciting workshops on: building parent leadership; showcasing innovative parent leadership models; and becoming a parent leader. There will be opportunities to network with parent leaders and staff, and tools for developing your leadership skills.