Texas School Health Network

"The Texas School Health Network has become a national model of which Texans can be proud. This program has provided the ideal vehicle for 'getting things done' in regard to school health issues."
Mike Dany, Executive Vice-President American Cancer Society, Texas Division, Inc.

Linking Every School District With Needed Health Resources

The Texas School Health Network is a collaborative effort of the Department of State Health Services (DSHS), the Texas Cancer Council, and the School Health Specialists working in the Regional Education Service Centers (ESCs).

Each of the 20 ESCs in Texas is staffed with a School Health Specialist who provides in-service training, workshops, and technical assistance to school districts. School health specialists assist schools in locating and promoting resources and materials on a wide variety of health topics. They also serve as a central coordinating point for the many competing health education topics and assist school districts in developing an integrated and coordinated approach to promoting and teaching the information.

Here are Just Some of the Services Provided Through the School Health Network:

"Since the School Health Network has been in effect, it has been one of the most effective programs provided by the Education Service Centers."
Vernon Stokes, Executive Director Education Service Center, Region 18

• Promoting a School-wide Approach to Health
• Development and Support of School Health Advisory Councils
• Building Bridges into the Community
• Distributing Information Where and When it is Needed
• Serving as a Resource for Health Education Information
• Contact your School Health Specialist

Promoting a school-wide approach to health

Regional school health specialists collaborate with professional organizations to sponsor training and networking opportunities for school personnel. They offer school nurse institutes; plan regional conferences for elementary and secondary health and physical education professionals; work with school counselors on substance abuse and violence prevention programs and activities; sponsor workshops for nutrition services staff; assist districts in the development of employee wellness programming; and consult with and train the whole school community on coordinated school health.

Development and Support of School Health Advisory Councils

School health specialists assist districts in the development of school health advisory councils (SHAC). These councils are an effective way of planning consistent and focused action within a school system. Composed of representatives from home, school, and community, SHACs can objectively assess the needs of young people and identify the resources that should be employed to meet those needs. By bringing together a variety of disciplines and stakeholders, SHACs can enhance their role in the support of their school's ability to positively impact students' health behavior.

Building bridges into the community School health specialists are catalysts for school-community collaboration. They enlist the support of community groups and raise awareness of school health issues. By building coalitions, forging public and private partnerships, and heightening community awareness, school health specialists link school personnel with state, regional and local resources

Distributing timely information where and when it is needed

The Department of Health Services (DSHS), Child Health and Safety Group as part of its School Health Program, administers the Network. At the state level, the Network maintains a collaborative relationship with other health and education organizations.

Biannual meetings bring the regional school health specialists together for updates on state programs and other relevant resources. By maintaining a constant line of communication, the Network ensures that regional specialists stay abreast of important health, education and legal issues. This unique and efficient communication system facilitates the dissemination of timely and accurate information to districts so that appropriate local action can be taken.

Your regional school health specialist can serve as a resource on:

• Curriculum selection
• Workshops and in-service training
• Community resources for health education and services
• Tobacco education, policies, and smoking cessation
• HIV/AIDS awareness
• School health advisory councils
• Staff wellness promotion programs
• Vision/hearing/spinal screening training
• Coordination of parent/community health efforts
• Universal precautions for disease prevention

How to Contact your School Health Specialist and ESC:

Last Updated October 2, 2006