# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Empowerment Scholarship Account Achievement Tutoring Program

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Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing

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Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, conference, huddle, and training rooms, as well as executive offices and classrooms. Founded in 2011, Zoom helps businesses and organizations bring their teams together in a frictionless environment to get more done. Zoom is a publicly traded company headquartered in San Jose, CA.

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School Nurse Huddle: February 2025- McKinney-Vento slides

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School Nurse Huddle: February 2025- McKinney-Vento slides

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Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing

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Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, conference, huddle, and training rooms, as well as executive offices and classrooms. Founded in 2011, Zoom helps businesses and organizations bring their teams together in a frictionless environment to get more done. Zoom is a publicly traded company headquartered in San Jose, CA.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, conference, huddle, and training rooms, as well as executive offices and classrooms. Founded in 2011, Zoom helps businesses and organizations bring their teams together in a frictionless environment to get more done. Zoom is a publicly traded company headquartered in San Jose, CA.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, conference, huddle, and training rooms, as well as executive offices and classrooms. Founded in 2011, Zoom helps businesses and organizations bring their teams together in a frictionless environment to get more done. Zoom is a publicly traded company headquartered in San Jose, CA.

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NASN School Nurse Practice Framework: Free to all AZ Nurses! 

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NASN School Nurse Practice Framework: Free to all AZ Nurses! 

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, conference, huddle, and training rooms, as well as executive offices and classrooms. Founded in 2011, Zoom helps businesses and organizations bring their teams together in a frictionless environment to get more done. Zoom is a publicly traded company headquartered in San Jose, CA.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, conference, huddle, and training rooms, as well as executive offices and classrooms. Founded in 2011, Zoom helps businesses and organizations bring their teams together in a frictionless environment to get more done. Zoom is a publicly traded company headquartered in San Jose, CA.

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In 2019, the Arizona State legislature passed ARS 15-120, known as the Mitch Warnock Act, mandating all public school staff be trained in suicide prevention. The statute states that AHCCCS will annually post approved suicide prevention training materials.

The law went into effect at the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year and mandates that all school staff who interact with students in grades 6 through 12 must receive suicide prevention training at least once every three years. Per the statute, the training must include:

Training in suicide prevention,

Training to identify the warning signs of suicidal behavior in adolescents and teens, and

Appropriate intervention and referral techniques.

AHCCCS, in coordination with the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) and Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), have selected the following school suicide prevention training options for this school year, 2022-2023. School administrators can choose from these suicide prevention training materials as they work toward meeting the statute's requirements.

Additionally, the Mitch Warnock Act stipulates that each school must provide its staff with information on its specific intervention and referral procedures. Jake's Law requires that schools have a policy for behavioral health referrals and a process for obtaining parental consent, and post it on their website. The Arizona School Board Association has created a policy with assistance from AHCCCS and ADE to assist school districts with the statutory requirements for Jake's Law. Once suicide prevention training is provided, school administrators shall provide staff with specific processes and procedures, outlined in their school policy, for crisis intervention and behavioral health referral. Once school staff have been trained in identifying the warning signs of suicidal behavior, it's critical that they know the appropriate next steps to take per each schools unique process. School administrators should also provide information for local resources such as crisis line numbers. Information about the school's referral process and important numbers should be displayed in common areas, such as a teacher lounge, as a constant reminder.

The methodology used to select these materials include the review of The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) Suicide Prevention Toolkit for High Schools, review of the Suicide Prevention Resource Center for additional gateway trainings, and review of articles addressing cultural considerations, particularly for tribal nations, in suicide prevention. This work was conducted by a third-party contractor.

AHCCCS, ADE and ADHS are currently evaluating additional suicide prevention training materials to exapand this list for the 2023-2024 school year. The updated list is scheduled to be posted here by January 2023. For submissions of curriculum for consideration, BHInSchools@azahcccs.gov.

The Arizona Department of Education provides suicide prevention training for school staff and community members. While the Arizona Department of Education will prioritize the training of school staff, ADE also offers training to community members across the state. If your school or district is interested in receiving training, please utilize the Google Form.

More resources for schools:

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In 2019, the Arizona State legislature passed ARS 15-120, known as the Mitch Warnock Act, mandating all public school staff be trained in suicide prevention. The statute states that AHCCCS will annually post approved suicide prevention training materials.

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Management of Chronic Conditions in Schools

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Management of Chronic Conditions in Schools

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Allergies, asthma, diabetes and seizures are all chronic conditions affecting many school-aged children. Find useful management resources for both schools and primary care providers here.

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Arizona School Nurse Committee Sign Up Form

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Take this survey powered by surveymonkey.com. Create your own surveys for free.

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STOP-IT requests your input in determining the current state of opioid overdose preparedness in our Arizona schools. Participation in this survey is optional, but your assistance informs/supports the bolstering of opioid overdose defense and education. Survey responses will remain anonymous, and you may skip any question within the survey. This survey will take approximately 20 minutes to complete, and the survey will stop collecting responses on 8/26. Thank you for your participation.

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School Training Overdose Preparedness IntelligenceTaskforce

STOP-IT requests your input in determining the current state of opioid overdose preparedness in our Arizona schools. Participation in this survey is optional, but your assistance informs/supports the bolstering of opioid overdose defense and education. Survey responses will remain anonymous, and you may skip any question within the survey. This survey will take approximately 20 minutes to complete, and the survey will stop collecting responses on 8/26. Thank you for your participation.

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Web survey powered by SurveyMonkey.com. Create your own online survey now with SurveyMonkey's expert certified FREE templates.

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Adolescent Meningococcal Vaccines: Impact and Potential Changes 

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Adolescent Meningococcal Vaccines: Impact and Potential Changes 

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A School Nurse-Led Initiative to Address Chronic Absenteeism

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A School Nurse-Led Initiative to Address Chronic Absenteeism

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Course: A School Nurse-Led Initiative to Address Chronic Absenteeism | NASN Learning Center

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Release Date: 10/26/2020
Reviewed: 10/26/2023Expiration Date: 10/26/2024
Originally presented at Virtual NASN2020 on June 30,…

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Are school nurse jobs in jeopardy? As pandemic relief expires, some are worried

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Are school nurse jobs in jeopardy? As pandemic relief expires, some are worried

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School nurses are increasingly anxious their workloads might expand - or their jobs may disappear entirely - when federal pandemic relief funds for U.S. schools expire by the end of the year.

School districts have until the end of September to allocate what remains of the billions of dollars in coronavirus relief Congress sent their way in separate tranches during the pandemic, the Education Department has said.

That deadline has prompted warnings from education advocates about looming budget shortfalls nationwide. The imminent fiscal cliff could have " severe implications " for students, including teacher layoffs and school closures, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a think tank in Washington, D.C.

Though U.S. schools have long faced a shortage of nurses, the disparity eased slightly when the federal government approved Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief, or ESSER, funding, which many districts used to hire nurses. With access to those federal coffers closing, some school leaders are scrambling to find the money elsewhere to retain nurses. Districts in Oregon and Oklahoma have reportedly considered layoffs. At a city budget hearing last week, New York City education department officials warned that roughly $65 million in federal funding for about 400 school nurses is set to expire.

"We're grateful to the stimulus funding that has allowed us to ensure every school has a school nurse on site," Jenna Lyle, a spokesperson for NYC public schools, said in a statement to USA TODAY. "And we will continue to advocate for and prioritize this need through the budget process."

Kate King, a school nurse in Ohio and the president of the National Association of School Nurses, said that while it's tough to pin down how many nurse salaries come from pandemic relief money, she has been hearing from nurses in districts across the country who are worried about what's to come.

"When districts started hiring during the pandemic, what they realized is how valuable school nurses are in a school building," she said. "Unfortunately, when they hired nurses with ESSER funds, there was no thought of sustainability in those positions."
Nursing shortage, explained: The school nurse is often still out as kids' health problems like suicide, allergies soar
Pandemic eased the school nurse shortage

About two-thirds of public schools have a full-time nurse, according to the latest survey data from the school nurses' association. While that number is higher than some estimates of pre-pandemic staffing, it's still below national standards. In 2016, the American Academy of Pediatrics officially recommended schools have at least one full-time nurse.

"Every school should have a full-time nurse," said Sarah Part, a senior policy analyst with the nonprofit group Advocates for Children of New York. "That was true before the pandemic. It's still true." Part's group has urged New York City Mayor Eric Adams to find money elsewhere in the budget to keep the nurses being paid with federal dollars.

The fact that federal funding is running out doesn't mean students' health needs have lessened. If anything, they have expanded in recent years, said Robin Cogan, who has worked as a New Jersey school nurse for more than two decades.

"It is very disheartening for school nurses who have spent years and years devoted to school health to be losing their jobs in this way," Cogan said. "It is so preventable."
Read more: School districts address nurse shortage in creative ways
In rural areas, public school districts are disproportionately underresourced - only about 56% employ full-time nurses, compared to approximately 70% of urban schools, the school nurses' association says. Roughly 6% of schools nationwide don't have any nurses on campus.

Chronic absenteeism and school nurses
Chronic absenteeism has run rampant. Here's what the Biden administration is doing about it.
The threat to school nursing jobs comes as chronic absenteeism - a problem nurses may be uniquely positioned to address - continues to grip American schools.

Research shows the number of students who miss at least 10% of the school year jumped by about 6.5 million between the 2018-19 and 2021-22 school years. Last week, U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona acknowledged the problem and said the Biden administration is working on new resources to reduce absences.

A study published last year in The Journal of School Nursing suggests school nurses often play a crucial role in keeping students at school. According to the study, students who routinely miss part of the school day often interact regularly with their nurse. Those close relationships give nurses the opportunity to intervene and curb absenteeism before it becomes chronic.

Leaders in districts like New York City should keep those findings in mind when they consider budget cuts, said Knoo Lee, an assistant professor at the University of Missouri's nursing school and one of the authors of the research.

"School nurses can really help out," he said. "A lot of schools are just missing that."

Zachary Schermele covers education and breaking news for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele.

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Are school nurse jobs in jeopardy? As pandemic relief expires, some are worried

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As COVID relief funds are set to expire at U.S. schools by the end of this year, some school nurses are worried about what comes next.

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Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, conference, huddle, and training rooms, as well as executive offices and classrooms. Founded in 2011, Zoom helps businesses and organizations bring their teams together in a frictionless environment to get more done.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, conference, huddle, and training rooms, as well as executive offices and classrooms. Founded in 2011, Zoom helps businesses and organizations bring their teams together in a frictionless environment to get more done.

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HEAT.gov - National Integrated Heat Health Information System

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Heat.gov serves as the premier source of heat and health information for the nation to reduce the health, economic, and infrastructural impacts of extreme heat.

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Heat-related deaths and illnesses are preventable. Despite this fact, more than 600 people in the United States are killed by extreme heat every year. This website provides helpful tips, information, and resources to help you stay safe in the extreme heat this summer. Provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

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AZDHS | Epidemiology & Disease Control - Heat Safety

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Working to monitor, prevent and control diseases in Arizona through education, immunization and research.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
AZDHS | Epidemiology & Disease Control - Heat Safety

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Working to monitor, prevent and control diseases in Arizona through education, immunization and research.

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Extreme Heat Preparedness

Back to Heat Safety Home
Arizona is experiencing increasingly longer periods of extreme heat, causing more Arizonans to experience heat-related illness, emergency room visits, and death. Taking proactive measures to mitigate the challenges posed by rising temperatures is essential in protecting the health of Arizonans.

To better support Arizona through extreme heat as part of the Governor's Executive Order on Extreme Heat Planning and Preparedness and Extreme Heat Preparedness Plan, the Arizona Department of Health Services is releasing our ADHS Recommendations and Findings for the Arizona Extreme Heat Preparedness Plan.

In 2022, there were 359 heat-caused deaths and 671 heat-related deaths in the state. 4,325 people visited hospitals or emergency rooms in 2022 due to illness caused by or related to heat-related illness.

In 2023, Arizona experienced 73 days with temperatures greater than 100 degrees Fahrenheit and broke a record for most days in a row (31) that had temperatures higher than 110 degrees Fahrenheit. While 2023's heat data is still being processed for release in September, preliminary data show a record number of heat-related emergency department visits.

Temperatures are only projected to increase, potentially leading to more heat-related illness, emergency room visits, and loss of human life. By 2030, Arizona is projected to experience up to 117 days over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. By 2060, nearly half the days in the year are projected to be over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, with some Arizona counties seeing warming up to 4.5 degrees Fahrenheit above current temperatures. People living in Arizona's rural areas are likely to experience the largest changes in temperature.

These recommendations, which incorporate input from long-standing climate and health partners across the state, are an action plan to help reduce heat-related illnesses and deaths as well as prepare Arizona for extended periods of heat in future years.

Our commitment to the safety and well-being of our communities is unwavering, and so we are taking proactive measures to mitigate the challenges posed by rising temperatures.

In August 2023, the Governor issued Executive Order (EO) 2023-16: Extreme Heat Planning and Preparedness to protect the health of all Arizonans from rising temperatures.

On Oct. 30, 2023, the Arizona Department of Health Services held the Arizona Heat Planning Summit 2023 as part of the Governor's executive order.

The summit brought together experts and stakeholders from various sectors including state, county and city government agencies, tribal nations, universities, health care providers and nonprofits to develop recommendations to protect Arizona communities from the growing threats of extreme heat.

Through this combination of knowledge sharing, expertise, and unwavering commitment, ADHS developed comprehensive recommendations to bolster the state's resilience and ensure the well-being of all Arizonans during extreme heat events.

As part of the response to extreme heat preparedness in our state, ADHS is proud to share it's Recommendations and Findings for the Arizona Extreme Heat Preparedness Plan.

These recommendations were shared with the Governor's Office in February 2024 to support the development of the Governor's Extreme Heat Preparedness Plan released on March 1.

The top recommendations from the Arizona Department of Health Services include:

Unifying coordination of grassroots heat response activities with state agency efforts.

Proposing impactful policy change to be accomplished through legislative actions.

Investing in heat mitigation through grant and funding opportunities.

Implementing a multi-modal communication plan promoting heat mitigation activities and resources.

Developing multilingual and tailored education and outreach materials to reach vulnerable populations.

Improving statewide heat relief coordination to mitigate heat risk.

Improving current data systems for management of resources and data-driven decision making.

Activating emergency response protocols.

Supporting tailored approaches for rural and urban areas with special consideration for regional needs.

Building capacity and increase stakeholder input through year-round heat coordination.

Improving consistency through collective standards of heat relief operations, data, and messaging.

Supporting emerging initiatives and research.

The recommendations aim to drive Arizona's heat relief activities, reduce heat-related illnesses and deaths, help the state and its residents prepare for extreme heat, and foster innovative solutions.

The Arizona Heat Preparedness Network was formed by ADHS to carry out the implementation of the Governor's Extreme Heat Preparedness Plan.

The network consists of many members and organizations working on heat relief activities throughout the state. These partners are also members of one or more of five workgroups established to address different aspects of the extreme heat response in our state. The Extreme Heat Preparedness Plan workgroups include:

Data to enhance resiliency

Communicating to promote heat resilience

Heat relief coordination

Building a strong infrastructure

Sustainability, policy, and innovation

The Arizona Heat Preparedness Network members will review data and finalize materials, recommendations, and additional deliverables developed by these workgroups and then share them with the Steering Committee to inform decision-making and assist in successful implementation this summer.

ADHS has established two new positions to assist in oversight of the Extreme Heat Preparedness Plan's implementation and the department's heat response. Eugene Livar is the Assistant Director for Public Health Preparedness at ADHS and the nation's first-ever statewide Chief Heat Officer.

This position is an initiative created under Governor Hobb's Extreme Heat Preparedness Plan. As the state's Chief Heat Officer, Dr. Livar will oversee the implementation of the plan and work to coordinate partnerships between the state, county health departments, local municipalities, communities, the private sector, and community-based organizations.

Dr. Eugene Livar currently serves as Arizona's first Chief Heat Officer. Appointed to this role in 2024, he oversees the implementation of Governor Hobb's Extreme Heat Preparedness Plan. He began his public health work at ADHS in 2012 as an epidemiologist assisting with state efforts covering border health and unexplained deaths. Prior to the role of Chief Heat Officer, he held roles as Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) program manager, Office Chief of Disease Integration and Services, Bureau Chief of Epidemiology and Disease Control, and most recently, the Assistant Director of Public Health Preparedness. The Assistant Director role encompassed leading and overseeing six critical public health bureaus: the Bureaus of Emergency Medical Services & Trauma Systems, Environmental Health Services, Immunization Services, Infectious Disease & Services, Public Health Emergency Preparedness, and State Laboratory Services.

Dr. Livar's forward-thinking approach and commitment to public health preparedness continue to shape policies and initiatives aimed at safeguarding the well-being of Arizona's residents.

Learn more about Eugene Livar.

Jennifer Botsford serves as the Bureau Chief of Environmental Health. Jennifer holds a Master's of Science in Public Health from Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and dual bachelor's degrees from the University of Arizona. Jennifer began her tenure at the Arizona Department of Health Services in 2005.

Her career progressed through several significant roles, including serving as the State Environmental Health Director, managing the Environmental Toxicology Program, Program Director of the Arizona Biomedical Research Centre, and Bureau Chief of Environmental Health Services.

Learn more about Jennifer Botsford.

Taylor Lutich joined the Arizona Department of Health Services in 2024 as its new Heat Relief Coordinator. Taylor was born and raised in Arizona. After completing her undergraduate studies at the University of Arizona with a bachelors of science in Psychology and Public Health, she joined the Peace Corps and served in the Dominican Republic.

Upon returning to the states, she continued her education at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and received her Masters in Emergency Health Services. She returned to Arizona and joined heat relief efforts at local shelters.

Learn more about Taylor Lutich.

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AZDHS | Epidemiology & Disease Control - Heat Safety

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Working to monitor, prevent and control diseases in Arizona through education, immunization and research.

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Learn how to stay safe when extreme heat threatens. Prepare for Extreme Heat Be Safe During Heat-Related Illnesses Summer Break Associated Content

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February School Nurse Huddle: Website and Updates

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February School Nurse Huddle: Website and Updates

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Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, conference, huddle, and training rooms, as well as executive offices and classrooms. Founded in 2011, Zoom helps businesses and organizations bring their teams together in a frictionless environment to get more done.

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January School Nurse Huddle: Youth Mental Health 

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January School Nurse Huddle: Youth Mental Health 

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, conference, huddle, and training rooms, as well as executive offices and classrooms. Founded in 2011, Zoom helps businesses and organizations bring their teams together in a frictionless environment to get more done. Zoom is a publicly traded company headquartered in San Jose, CA.

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Youth anxiety, stress, and worry: What is typical?

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Youth anxiety, stress, and worry: What is typical?

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Youth anxiety, stress, and worry: What is typical? | Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) Network

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It is estimated that one in five youth will suffer from some type of mental health disorder by age 18. Anxiety is one of the most common mental health disorders, affecting 31.9% of youth, and is often associated with other mental health concerns like depression and suicide (Merikangas, 2010). There are modular youth treatments that build youth skills to address these concerns. This training will provide resources to mental health and school professionals on identifying anxiety in youth and understanding different symptoms as they relate to typical developmental trajectory. The training will also provide strategies to address worry in youth, especially youth of color, with free resources to help in the identification and treatment of anxiety disorders. An important emphasis will focus on culturally adaptive anxiety and how to best meet youth needs.

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The Journal of School Nursing
2024, Vol. 40(1) 5-7
© The Author(s) 2023
Article reuse guidelines:
sagepub.com/journals-permissions
DOI: 10.1177/10598405231213929
journals.sagepub.com/home/jsn

Abstract

Calzolari and colleagues invited others to have an "open...professional dialogue" on how Italy can introduce school nurses into their system. This editorial is a response to that invitation. Although factors such as a broader nursing shortage and limited health resources definitely contribute to a global shortage of school nurses, three foundational reasons continue to challenge the demand for school nursing globally. The three reasons are traditional views and lack of understanding of the role of school nurses to address modern days challenges, inadequate system support and integration within education, and lack of data to illustrate value. These challenges must be addressed when discussing the inclusion of school nurses in education.

Keywords

school nurse knowledge/perceptions/self-efficacy, school nurse education, policies/procedures, documentation, leadership, program development/evaluation, role promotion/development, school nurse characteristics

School health services exist in over 102 countries, and school nurses are the most common healthcare professional in schools (Baltag & Saewyc, 2017). This is true in low-, middle-, and high-income countries. Yet, as Calzolari and colleagues (2023) indicate, some countries, such as Italy, do not have school nurses. Calzolari and colleagues outline how school nurses can influence students' health and invite others to have an "open...professional dialogue" on how Italy can introduce school nurses into their system. We welcome this dialogue and believe the discussion needs to expand to address the global need of linking students with health services, through school nursing and other models.

Although factors such as a broader nursing shortage and limited health resources definitely contribute to a global shortage of school nurses, three foundational reasons continue to challenge the demand for school nursing globally. The three reasons are traditional views and lack of understanding of the role of school nurses to address modern days challenges, inadequate system support and integration within education, and lack of data to illustrate value. These challenges must be addressed when discussing the inclusion of school nurses in education.

Traditional Views and Understanding of the Role of School Nurses

Parents, educators, and decision-makers do not fully understand the role and value of school nurses (Maughan et al., 2023). Calzolari and colleagues (2023) highlight that Italy, for many years, have used teachers and public health nurses to address student health. The model seems to work, at least enough not to change. Tradition and status quo are hard to undo. Words are often not enough for change to occur; actions are needed. The recent COVID pandemic highlighted the integration of health and education, which may be a window of opportunity to reinforce the value and current role of school nurses. Leveraging materials like the World Health Organization's (WHO) (2021 Guidelines for School Health Services, and sharing examples from settings who are willing to try innovative and new models of school nursing are crucial in changing long-held beliefs.

Some school nurses continue traditional activities with a focus on sensorial and musculoskeletal deficiencies and classroom health education instead of addressing current and emerging health needs such as mental health, chronic conditions, and violence, with modern means (i.e., using effective individual counseling techniques) (Baltag & Saewyc, 2017). This perpetuates educators misunderstanding of the role, while the school nurses are not working to their full scope of practice. More than ever, a focus on wellbeing with all its domains-good health and optimum nutrition, connectedness and positive relationships, agency and resilience, education, skills and employability, safe and supportive environments-is required to address youth's current needs (WHO, 2023). Acknowledging this and noting the health sector remains challenged to meaningfully include prevention for adolescents and school-aged children, focusing more on conspicuous health issues, the WHO is advocating for well-child and well-adolescent visits that could be done within the school and other settings (Banati et al., 2022). For example, as part of school nursing individualand population-based assessments, these visits move beyond traditional screenings for common conditions and expands to other well-being dimensions, integrating social risks, emotional state, as well as individual and family resources delivered with context-specific recommendations at key moments during the first two decades of life. Providing guidance on this modernized role of a school nurse is one way to help the profession advance to meet current demands and address biased views of the role. School nursing professional education and training must also raise to this challenge by educating differently in the role of school nurses as well as how to articulate that role. Finally, partnering with media and other social influencers to discuss the full scope of school nursing by sharing examples of innovative practice will help decision-makers understand the role and value of school nurses.

Inadequate System Support and Integration Within Education

School nurses bridge both health and education sectors. The traditions and lack of integration of health into the education sector are challenging. In addition to a lack of understanding of the role of the school nurse in education, there is also a lack of knowledge on how to integrate school health services into the education sector. This affects school health services in many ways-from poorly identified governance mechanisms and policy frameworks to firmly establish the position of school health services in educational institutions, to poor staffing and professional education and training (Michaud et al., 2021) and discriminatory salary scales (Baltag et al., 2017). Policies and guidance for ministries of education are needed that support evidence-based, current practice, and address appropriate staffing and resources for school nurses to work to their full scope. The WHO is currently undertaking the work to inform a global implementation guidance on school health services that would hopefully address some of these system challenges. Locally, countries and regions can then adapt the guidance to develop standards for health and education system support of school health services and school nursing.

Lack of Data on Outcomes

Data is crucial when articulating the role and value of school nurses and evaluating the infrastructure support needed for school nursing. The evidence is growing that the smartest investments are coordinated investments in health and education that reinforce each other (WHO, 2023). Although evidence exists illustrating the impact of school nurses on chronic condition management, attendance, and health behaviors, it is insufficient. Much of the existing research includes small, short-term, convenient samples that focus on specific knowledge-based interventions that often do not require the skill of school nurses (Maughan et al., 2023). Few long-term studies are found. To move school nursing science and practice forward, and illustrate the value of school nurses, funding for robust research is needed.

Even in countries with established school nursing programs such as the United States or Sweden, there is a lack of evidenced-based uniform school nurse outcome indicators that are regularly collected. Most data collected are process outcomes of activities completed, not the outcome of those activities. Even though the variability of roles and workload make this challenging, to move school nursing forward, research must prioritize the identification of key school nurse outcome indicators. The Global School Nurse Research Consortium (n.d.) have begun this work, and more efforts are needed.

International collaboration is crucial in overcoming these three pivotal challenges to advancing school health services and school nursing worldwide. The variability for school nursing across countries, (e.g., in terms of school nurse staffing workloads, job description, requisite competencies) warrants continuous learning and experience sharing to inform recommendations that would speak to various contexts. The discussion must be a global, broader discussion, it must continue and include actions.

Erin D. Maughan, PhD, RN, PHNA-BC, FNASN, FAAN 1 Valentina Baltag, PhD, MD, MSci 2

1 Center for School Health Innovation & Quality and George Mason University, USA

2 Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child & Adolescent Health & Ageing, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding

Valentina Baltag is a staff member of the World Health Organization. The authors alone are responsible for the views expressed in this article; they do not represent the decisions or policies of the World Health Organization.

ORCID iD

Erin D. Maughan https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0176-1499

References

Baltag, V., & Saewyc, E. (2017). Pairing children with health services: The changing role of school health services in the twentyfirst century. In A. Cherry, V. Baltag, & M. Dillon (Eds.), International handbook on adolescent health and development: The public health response (chapter 24 (pp. 463-471). Springer International Publishing AG. http://www.springer.com/us/book/9783319407418

Baltag, V., Stronski, S., & Pattison, D. (2017). School health services in former socialist countries: Case studies from Albania, Republic of Moldova, Tajikistan, and Ukraine. In A. Cherry, V. Baltag, & M. Dillon (Eds.), International handbook on adolescent health and development: The public health response (chapter 25, pp. 479-488). Springer International Publishing AG. http://www.springer.com/us/book/9783319407418

Banati, P., Banerjee, A., Daelmans, B., & Baltag, V. (2022). The need for new models to measure the impact of prevention. Journal of Adolescent Health, 72(1), 11. http://doi/org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2022.09.016

Calzolari, M., Napolitano, F., Zanini, M., Catania, G., Aleao, G., Hayter, M., Sasso, L., & Bagnasco, A. (2023). The need for a school nurse service in Italy: Time to act. The Journal of School Nursing, 40(1), 3-4, http://doi/org/10.1177/10598405231213961.

Global School Nurse Researcher Consortium. (n.d.). https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12321384/

Maughan, E. D., Einberg, E. L., Chalmers, L., Mohammadifirouzeh, M., Best, N., Moyes, A., & McKinley-Yoder, C. (2023). School nursing outcomes: How do we measure value and effectiveness [breakout session]. School Nurse International.

Michaud, P. A., Vervoort, J. P. M., Visser, A., Baltag, A., Reijneveld, S. A., Kocken, P. L., & Jansen, D. (2021)). Organization and activities of school health services among EU countries. European Journal of Public Health, 31(3), 502-508. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckaa200

World Health Organization. (2021). WHO guidelines for school health services. Geneva. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240029392

World Health Organization. (2023). Global accelerated action for the health of adolescents (AA-HA!): Guidance to support country implementation (2nd ed). World Health Organization. https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/373300

Journal Cover School Health Verso The Need for a School Nursing Service in Italy: Time to act The Global Shortage of School Nurses Exploring Screening Practices for Child Sexual Abuse in School Settings: An Integrative Review An Integrative Review of College Readiness Programs for Black High School Students; Opportunities School Nurses' Experiences and Roles in Promoting and Administering the HPV Vaccine: A Systematic The Relationship of School Connectedness to Adolescents' Engagement in Co-Occurring Health Risks: Transgender and Gender non-Conforming Mental Health Training and Knowledge for High School Staff: Exploring Wellness Through Concept Analysis Enjoyment of Physical Activity among Children and Adolescents: A Concept Analysis From Institutions to Inclusion: How Children with Disabilities Gained Educational Rights in the U.S. Sage Perspectives & Journals Author Gateway NASN Power of Community NASN Stronger Together NASN 2024 Save the Date

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The Journal of School Nursing2024, Vol. 40(1) 5-7© The Author(s) 2023Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions DOI: 10.1177/10598405231213929 journals.sagepub.com/home/jsn Calzolari and colleagues invited others to have an "open...professional dialogue" on how Italy can introduce school nurses into their system. This editorial is a response to that invitation.

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This report a is intended to guide practitioners, educators, youth, and families in developing appropriate plans using psychosocial interventions. It was created for the period October 2023 - March 2024 using the PracticeWise Evidence-Based Services (PWEBS) Database. This report updates and replaces the "Blue Menu" originally distributed by the Hawaii Department of Health, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Division, Evidence-Based Services Committee from 2002-2009. Looking for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Evidence-Based Child and Adolescent Psychosocial Interventions tool? It is available on the AAP website.

You can also access a PDF of this report.

Abbreviations: CBT, Cognitive Behavior Therapy; CM, Contingency Management; MI, Motivational Interviewing; PMT, Parent Management Training.

a This report updates and replaces the "Blue Menu" originally distributed by the Hawaii State Department of Health, Child & Adolescent Mental Health Division, Evidence-Based Services Committee, from 2002-2009.

b Level 5 refers to treatments whose study findings were unsupportive or inclusive.

The recommendations in this report do not indicate an exclusive course of treatment or serve as a standard of medical care. Variations, taking into account individual circumstances, may be appropriate.

Background

The "Blue Menu of Evidence-Based Psychosocial Interventions for Youth" table is based on an ongoing review of randomized clinical psychosocial and combined treatment trials for children and adolescents with mental health needs. The contents of the table represent the treatments that best fit a youth's characteristics, based on the primary problem (rows) and the strength of evidence behind the treatments (columns). Thus, when seeking an intervention with the best empirical support for an adolescent with depression, one might select from among cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) alone, CBT with medication, CBT with parents included, client centered therapy, or family therapy. Each clinical trial must have been published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, and each study is coded by 2 independent raters whose discrepancies are reviewed and resolved by a third expert judge. Prior to report development, data are subject to extensive quality analyses to identify and eliminate remaining errors, inconsistencies, or formatting problems.

Strength of Evidence Definitions

The strength of evidence classification uses a 5-level system that was originally adapted from the American Psychological Association Division 12 Task Force on the Promotion and Dissemination of Psychological Procedures. Higher strength of evidence is an indicator of the reliability of the findings behind the treatment, not an index of the expected size of the effect.

Treatment Definitions

The "Blue Menu of Evidence-Based Psychosocial Interventions for Youth" uses a broad level of analysis for defining treatments, such that interventions sharing a majority of components with similar clinical strategies and theoretical underpinnings are considered to belong to a single treatment approach. For example, rather than list each CBT protocol for depression on its own, the tool handles these as a single group that collectively has achieved a particular level of scientific support. This approach focuses more on "generic" as opposed to "brand name" treatment modalities, and it also is designed to reduce the many hundreds of distinct treatments that would otherwise be represented on this tool to a more practical level of analysis.

Problem Definition

The presenting problems represented in the table rows are coded using a checklist of 25 different problem areas (e.g., anxious or avoidant behaviors, eating disorders, substance use). The problem area refers to the condition that a treatment explicitly targeted and for which clinical outcomes were measured. These problem areas are inclusive of diagnostic conditions (e.g., all randomized trials targeting separation anxiety disorder are considered collectively within the "Anxious or Avoidant Behaviors" row) but also include the much larger number of research trials that tested treatments but did not use diagnosis as a study entry criterion. For example, many studies use elevated scores on behavior or emotion checklists or problems such as arrests or suicide attempts to define participants. Mental health diagnoses are therefore nested under these broader categories.

History of This Tool

This tool has its origins with the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Division of the Hawaii Department of Health. Under the leadership of then-division chief Christina Donkervoet, work was commissioned starting in 1999 to review child mental health treatment outcome literature and produce reports that could serve the mental health system in selecting appropriate treatments for its youth. Following an initial review of more than 120 randomized clinical trials, the division began to issue the results of these reviews in quarterly matrix reports known as the Blue Menu (named for the blue paper on which it was originally printed and distributed). This document was designed to be user-friendly and transportable, thereby making it amenable to broad and easy dissemination. The "Blue Menu of Evidence-Based Psychosocial Interventions for Youth" now represents over 1,600 randomized trials of psychosocial treatments for youth. PracticeWise continues to identify, review, and code new research trials and plans to continue providing updates to this tool for the foreseeable future.

References

American Psychological Association Task Force on Promotion and Dissemination of Psychological Procedures, Division of Clinical Psychology. Training in and dissemination of empirically-validated psychological treatments: report and recommendations. Clin Psychol. 1995;48:3-23

Chorpita BF, Donkervoet CM. Implementation of the Felix Consent Decree in Hawaii: the implementation of the Felix Consent Decree in Hawaii. In: Steele RG, Roberts MC, eds. Handbook of Mental Health Services for Children, Adolescents, and Families. New York, NY: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers; 2005:317-332

Chorpita BF, Yim LM, Donkervoet JC, et al. Toward large-scale implementation of empirically supported treatments for children: a review and observations by the Hawaii Empirical Basis to Services Task Force. Clin Psychol Sci Pract. 2002;9(2):165-190

See more on our publications page.

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Blue Menu of Evidence-Based Interventions

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PracticeWise is dedicated to improving human health and welfare through the use of evidence and information technology to advance behavioral health care. PracticeWise strives to apply scientific principles in all its endeavors and to pursue research and evaluation to promote continued development of behavioral health services.

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She Persisted: Your Teen Mental Health Resource

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She Persisted: Your Teen Mental Health Resource

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‎She Persisted: Your Teen Mental Health Resource on Apple Podcasts

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Enhancing the Capacity of School Nurses to Reduce Student Anxiety

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Enhancing the Capacity of School Nurses to Reduce Student Anxiety

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Enhancing the Capacity of School Nurses to Reduce Student Anxiety | NASN Learning Center

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Release Date: 12/01/2023 Expiration Date: 12/01/2026 Cost: Free for NASN members and $20 non members! Upon successful…

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Staying up to date with current recommendations and COVID vaccinations may offer protection against disease, hospitalization, and death.

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An Action Guide for School and District Leaders

At a Glance

Schools are prioritizing students' mental health, and there are many tools and resources to choose from. CDC created this action guide as a place to start. It can help school and district leaders build on what they are already doing to promote students' mental health and find new strategies to fill in gaps.

The action guide describes six in-school strategies that are proven to promote and support mental health and well-being. For each strategy, the guide also describes approaches, or specific ways to put the strategy into action, and examples of evidence-based policies, programs, and practices.

Audience

School and district leaders of kindergarten through 12th-grade schools (K-12), including principals and leaders of student support teams.

Goal

Provide school and district leaders with strategies, approaches, and practices that can improve students' mental health.

CDC has identified six school-based strategies and associated approaches that can help prevent mental health problems and promote positive behavioral and mental health of students.

Multitiered Systems Of Support

Multitiered Systems of Support (MTSS) are used by many schools and districts to support different levels of students' needs. The strategies in this action guide can align with schools' existing MTSS to enhance the work schools have already started.

Why Schools?

Schools help promote the mental health and well-being of students through education, prevention, and early intervention efforts. They provide an opportunity to reach a large number of youth with strategies that can lessen the impact of negative experiences and improve students' health and well-being.

Schools can establish safe and supportive environments.

Schools can connect students to caring adults and encourage positive peer relationships.

Schools can give students mental health support and link them and their families to community behavioral and mental health services.

Schools that promote student mental health and well-being can improve classroom behavior, school engagement, and peer relationships. These factors are connected to academic success.

Additional Resources

Some of the strategies and approaches in this action guide may also improve other important health outcomes, such as experiences of violence and suicide. CDC has several Resources for Action for preventing violence.

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Promoting Mental Health and Well-Being in Schools

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Learn more about promoting student mental health and well-being in schools in CDC's action guide for school leaders.

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Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Network

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Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Network

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The Mid-America MHTTC serves the four states of Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri (HHS Region 7) with a focus on integrated behavioral health and primary care, schools and mental health training programs. Our overall goal is to assist mental health programs and providers to establish evidence-based programs that are locally supported and sustainable over time.

The Center is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and is housed at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

If you are interested in our services, please visit our page for ways to get in touch.

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The Mid-America MHTTC serves the four states of Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri (HHS Region 7) with a focus on integrated behavioral health and primary care, schools and mental health training programs. Our overall goal is to assist mental health programs and providers to establish evidence-based programs that are locally supported and sustainable over time.

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Accessing Behavioral Health Services in Schools

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Accessing Behavioral Health Services in Schools

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AHCCCS covers medically necessary behavioral health services for Medicaid-enrolled students. Many of these services are provided directly on school campuses, making it easier for students to get services where they are, and as soon as they need help. If you need help accessing behavioral health services for yourself or others, see How to Access Behavioral Health Services flowchart.

The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) and the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) created the School and Behavioral Health Partnerships Resource Guide for principals, other education administrators, school mental health professionals and anyone who wishes to be a voice that promotes the need for school mental health resources in Arizona. Seven AHCCCS health plans collaborated to provide a resource for each designated health plan point of contact for Behavioral Health Services in Schools. Utilize the Behavioral Health in Schools flyer available in English and Spanish.

Jake's Law and The Children's Behavioral Health Services Fund

In 2020, the Arizona State Legislature passed Jake's Law which allocated $8 million for behavioral health services for students who are underinsured or uninsured.This special allocation of one-time state funding, known as the Children's Behavioral Health Services fund allows schools to refer students for Behavioral Health services for anxiety, depression, social isolation, stress, behavioral issues, or any other mental health concern. Families will not receive a bill for these services; they are covered by tax dollars.

Jake's Law requires that schools must develop a policy to refer students for behavioral health services, and to allow families to opt-in or opt-out of the referral process each year. Additional Jake's Law requirements for schools are outlined in ARS 36-3436.01. The Arizona School Board Association has created a policy that schools can use to create their own district policy.

Behavioral health services under this funding are provided to students by participating health care providers contracted with the three Regional Behavioral Health Agreements (RBHAs), Mercy Care (in Central Arizona), Arizona Complete Health Complete Care (in Southern Arizona), and Care 1st (in Northern Arizona). See this flyer for a list of contracted providers with each RBHA, or see the chart below. AHCCCS registered providers not listed may be able to work with the RBHA in their area to become a recognized provider with this funding.

Casa de los Niños
Community Health Associates
Community Partners Integrated Health
COPE Community Services
Easter Seals Blake Foundation
Horizon Health & Wellness
Intermountain
La Frontera
Marana Health Services
Pathways
Pinal Hispanic Council

Arizona Youth & Family Services
Community Bridges Inc.
Brain Solutions PLLC
Family Involvement Center
Free Life Wellness Center
Horizon Health and Wellness
Jewish Family and Children's Service
LaFrontera-EMPACT
Lifeline Professional Counseling Services
New Hope of Arizona
Open Hearts
Paper Cranes Healthcare
Resilient Health
Southwest Behavioral and Health Services
Southwest Network
Spectrum
Terros Health
The Resolution Group
Touchstone Health Services
Valle Del Sol

Change Point Integrated Health
Encompass Health Services
Little Colorado Behavioral Health Centers
Mohave Mental Health Clinic
Polara Health (formerly West Yavapai Guidance Clinic)
Southwest Behavioral & Health Services
Spectrum Healthcare
The Guidance Center

An updated and maintained list of County Code, Type Code, District Code, and Site Number (known as CTDS codes, which is a nine digit number that the Arizona Department of Education uses to identify Arizona schools) is available on the AHCCCS Medical Coding webpage.

For further inquiries, please email bhinschools@azahcccs.gov

FAQ for Parents

How do I get behavioral health services for my child?

If your child is a current Medicaid member, call the number on the back of your insurance card.

If your child is not currently a Medicaid member, call the phone number for the AHCCCS Complete Care-Regional Behavioral Health Agreements (ACC-RBHAs) in your area, OR request a referral for services from your child's school.

FAQ for Schools

How do I get behavioral health services for students at my school?

The School and Behavioral Health Partnerships Resource Guide gives school leadership and parents steps to follow to partner with a behavioral health provider in your community, and to create the necessary policies to make referrals. This guide was created by AHCCCS and the Arizona Department of Education. Sample policy templates are included.

What is the Mental Health Block Grant and which children are included?

The Mental Health Block Grant provides grant funded services to children with serious emotional disturbances and individuals who have experienced a first episode of psychosis within the past 2 years.Learn more on the Mental Health Block Grant web page.

What is the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant and which children are included?

AHCCCS School-Based Universal Referral Form

Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System is making efforts to improve the system of care for school professionals making referrals to community mental health providers. As part of these efforts we are sharing the School-Based Universal Referral Form English / Spanish which can be used by school professionals (i.e., counselor, social worker, psychologist, nurse, etc) who have obtained parent/guardian consent and are following district policy to make referrals to community mental health providers.

FAQ for School-Based Universal Referral Form

School Feedback Form

Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) wants to ensure a smooth and easy process for school districts to refer students to community behavioral health providers. It is our priority for students to receive timely services, regardless of the funding source (i.e., Medicaid, Children's Behavioral Health Services Fund [CBHSF], federal grants, etc.). The intention of this feedback form is to capture the experience of schools working with community behavioral health providers and to identify the successes, the delays, and/or barriers schools have experienced. We hope to use this feedback to collaborate with our contracted health plans to remove barriers for school districts, and improve the timeliness of service delivery for students. Please fill in as much information as you have available. If you do not have information for a particular question, please leave it blank. Also, indicate if you would like assistance with resolving barriers. If you do not want assistance at this time or choose to remain anonymous, your feedback will be used to inform overall system improvements.

This form can be completed multiple times by the same district, so if you are not currently experiencing a barrier or do not wish for assistance at this time, you can always complete this form again if anything changes. AHCCCS greatly appreciates you taking the time to provide us with feedback.

Please find our feedback form at this link: School Feedback Form
Revised 12/18/2023

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Accessing Behavioral Health Services in Schools

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AHCCCS covers medically necessary behavioral health services for Medicaid-enrolled students. Many of these services are provided directly on school campuses, making it easier for students to get services where they are, and as soon as they need help. If you need help accessing behavioral health services for yourself or others, see How to Access Behavioral Health Services flowchart.

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School and Behavioral Health Partnerships

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School and Behavioral Health Partnerships

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In partnership with Arizona Healthcare Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) and Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), the ADE Project AWARE team developed the School and Behavional Health Partnerships Resource Guide, which is intended to assist school districts and behavioral health providers in creating seamless partnerships that support Arizona's youth and families.

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School Mental Health Professionals in Arizona

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School Mental Health Professionals in Arizona

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FINAL School Health Professionals nonbranded.pdf

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Promoting Mental Health and Well-Being in Schools

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Learn more about strategies and approaches schools can use to improve students’ mental health.

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Mental Health Technology Transfer Center

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Mental Health Technology Transfer Center

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WELCOME TO THE MHTTC NETWORK!

FEATURED NEWS

MHTTCs Implementing Change

Collaboration for High Quality School Mental Health Services: Effective Partnering with Families...

Effective family-school collaboration has consistently been shown to enhance child and family

Motivational Interviewing: Technical Skills (Level 2 - November 2023)

The registration link for this training will be provided to participants who complete the

MHTTC Grief Sensitivity Virtual Learning Institute (GSVLI) 2023: Day 1- General Mental Health...

Join us for a two-day, no-cost, training experience for the mental health and school mental health

Puerto Rican teenagers have unique mental health needs due to the traumatic events that have occurred since 2017 (e.g., Hurricanes Irma and María, ongoing earthquakes and aftershocks starting in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic). One way that the Comprehensive Adolescent Health Services (SISA, in Spanish) Program of the Puerto Rico Department of Health is helping to serve teenagers, is through a youth promoters program, in which youth aged 10 to 14 (6-8 th grade) serve as "peers teaching peers" and provide messages promoting good health and the prevention of risky behaviors in school, the community, and/or within their families. The SISA Program identified that their coordinators, who represent Puerto Rico's school regions and educate youth promoters, needed more education and training on youth mental health. Starting in September 2021 (and currently ongoing), the Northeast and Caribbean MHTTC has provided technical assistance on youth mental health to the SISA Program and their coordinators, with the ultimate goal of boosting mental health awareness across Puerto Rican youth.

With the ever-growing need for school mental health services across the state of Nebraska, the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) created the Nebraska School Mental Health Project to provide resources to support school mental health efforts across the state. As part of this project, they identified a need for leadership training and guided strategic planning in implementing comprehensive school mental health systems and best practices and partnered with Mid-America MHTTC for training and technical assistance in this area.

Educators and school-based staff play important roles in supporting student mental health, often listening to students' fears and concerns, and helping them cope with stressful events. In addition, educators and staff are working long days and often report feeling overwhelmed by juggling many job responsibilities. The effect of this stress can take the form of compassion fatigue, burnout, or secondary traumatic stress that contribute to lower job satisfaction and educator turnover. With the start of COVID in 2019, its continued dominance in 2020, and its lingering effects, many public school teachers and staff in the Central East region contemplated leaving the profession due to burnout and compassion fatigue. The Central East MHTTC, in its assessment of the State Departments of Education and local school districts in the region, found that the school mental health workforce wanted more training and technical assistance in compassion fatigue.

Mental health providers and school mental health champions in the Pacific Southwest region are constantly providing grief support in the field, though many are under-trained in grief response and recovery practices and some are experiencing their own grief. To address the need for evidence-based grief support in the mental health field, the Pacific Southwest MHTTC led a 6-week Grief Readiness Pilot Lab in Spring 2021 to guide school mental health practitioners to explore the topic of grief and develop Grief Readiness Plans. Then, informed by the pilot, the Pacific Southwest MHTTC offered a Grief Readiness Series for school and mental health leaders nationwide in the fall of 2021.

The Central East MHTTC, in collaboration with the Annapolis Coalition on the Behavioral Health Workforce and the Community Behavioral Health Association of Maryland, invited organizations to apply to participate in a Workforce Recruitment and Retention Collaborative. This project educated community-based behavioral health providers in Maryland on the multiple factors contributing to the crisis in the recruitment and retention of behavioral staff. The collaborative assisted providers to identify factors influencing their ability to recruit and retain staff and develop individualized action plans. It also provided technical assistance and allowed providers to share progress and receive feedback from members of the Collaborative.

The New England MHTTC Person-Centered Recovery Planning (PCRP) Learning Collaborative project is a multi-agency learning collaborative to provide intense training, TA, and implementation support around the practice of PCRP. It began with a series of introductory webinars in December 2019 and was scheduled to conclude in December 2020; however, supports will be extended for 3 months due to significant project disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Primary faculty are Dr. Janis Tondora of the Yale Program for Recovery and Community Health and Dr. Dan Wartenberg of Newport Mental Health.

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Home | Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) Network

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WELCOME TO THE MHTTC NETWORK! FEATURED NEWS MHTTCs Implementing Change Collaboration for High Quality School Mental Health Services: Effective Partnering with Families... Effective family-school collaboration has consistently been shown to enhance child and family Motivational Interviewing: Technical Skills (Level 2 - November 2023) The registration link for this training will be provided to participants who complete the MHTTC Grief Sensitivity Virtual Learning Institute (GSVLI) 2023: Day 1- General Mental Health...

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November 3rd, 2021 Mental Health Webinar: A Guide for School Nurse & Health Staff 

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November 3rd, 2021 Mental Health Webinar: A Guide for School Nurse & Health Staff 

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Passcode: NURSE2020

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Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing

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Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, conference, huddle, and training rooms, as well as executive offices and classrooms. Founded in 2011, Zoom helps businesses and organizations bring their teams together in a frictionless environment to get more done.

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Managing Student Asthma in School During COVID-19

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Managing Student Asthma in School During COVID-19

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Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing

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Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, conference, huddle, and training rooms, as well as executive offices and classrooms. Founded in 2011, Zoom helps businesses and organizations bring their teams together in a frictionless environment to get more done.

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 School Health Offices in the Vortex of the Pandemic

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 School Health Offices in the Vortex of the Pandemic

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Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing

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Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, conference, huddle, and training rooms, as well as executive offices and classrooms. Founded in 2011, Zoom helps businesses and organizations bring their teams together in a frictionless environment to get more done. Zoom is a publicly traded company headquartered in San Jose, CA.

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Boston Children's Hospital: Community Education Initiative

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Boston Children's Hospital: Community Education Initiative

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All sessions offered:

via LIVE Zoom (sessions not recorded unless otherwise noted)

4:30 to 6:30pm (EST) (unless otherwise noted)

2.0 Nursing contact hours awarded after completion of evaluation as well as 2.0 PDP's (unless otherwise noted)

$40 per session (BCH Staff/Retiree Rate: $20) 2hr/1.5hr session: $30/$15

Purchase orders are accepted. Please send name, email address and purchase order number to: judi.naar@childrens.harvard.edu in order to register. **PLEASE NOTE THAT IF REGISTERING WITH A DISTRICT PURCHASE ORDER, REGISTRATION IS NOT COMPLETE UNTIL A COPY OF PURCHASE ORDER HAS BEEN SENT TO JUDI.NAAR@CHILDRENS.HARVARD.EDU

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Please click the link to complete this form.

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November School Nurse Huddle: National Epilepsy Awareness Month

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November School Nurse Huddle: National Epilepsy Awareness Month

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Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing

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Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, conference, huddle, and training rooms, as well as executive offices and classrooms. Founded in 2011, Zoom helps businesses and organizations bring their teams together in a frictionless environment to get more done.

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October School Nurse Huddle Recording: Vaping

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October School Nurse Huddle Recording: Vaping

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Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing

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Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, conference, huddle, and training rooms, as well as executive offices and classrooms. Founded in 2011, Zoom helps businesses and organizations bring their teams together in a frictionless environment to get more done.

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Advancing Comprehensive School Employee Wellness

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Advancing Comprehensive School Employee Wellness

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A Toolkit for School Systems to Advance Comprehensive School Employee Wellness - Child Trends

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Lead Testing in Drinking Water at Arizona Schools 

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Lead Testing in Drinking Water at Arizona Schools 

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School health systems under strain: an example of COVID-19 experiences & burnout among school health staff in Pima County, Arizona - BMC Public Health

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Background School health staff lead and provide a variety of care for children in schools. As school districts have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic, school health staff have faced unprecedented challenges in protecting the health of students and school staff.

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School Surveillance and Medication Program (SSMP)

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School Surveillance and Medication Program (SSMP)

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August School Nurse Huddle Recording: School and Child Care Immunizations 

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August School Nurse Huddle Recording: School and Child Care Immunizations 

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View the recording for the August School Nurse Huddle's presentation on School and Child Care Immunizations!

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Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing

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Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, conference, huddle, and training rooms, as well as executive offices and classrooms. Founded in 2011, Zoom helps businesses and organizations bring their teams together in a frictionless environment to get more done.

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Connecting Arizonans to Coverage and Care

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Connecting Arizonans to Coverage and Care

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Talking About Kids is a weekly podcast for parents, educators, and direct service providers that explores the latest information on issues impacting children and adolescents, from preventing bullying to unlocking creativity. Hosted by me - R. Bradley Snyder, author of The 5 Simple Truths of Raising Kids - each episode presents a new topic and introduces listeners to authors, academics, and visionaries from around the globe.

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Talking About Kids: A Podcast For Teachers, Parents, & Those Who Work With Kids

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Talking About Kids is a weekly podcast that explores the latest information on issues impacting children and adolescents, from preventing bullying to unlocking creativity. Each episode presents a new topic and introduces listeners to authors, academics, and visionaries from around the globe.

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Arizona Medicaid School-Based Claiming Program

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Arizona Medicaid School-Based Claiming Program

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The School Based Claiming program is a federal program that offers reimbursement for both the provision of covered medically necessary school-based services (Direct Service Claiming) and the costs of administrative activities (Medicaid Administrative Claiming), such as outreach, which supports the M…

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Arizona Project AWARE provides evidenced-based Suicide Prevention Training that is approved by AHCCCS to meet legislative requirements, per ARS15-120.

Who is required to receive Suicide Prevention Training in Arizona?

How can students access mental health support in an education environment?

Each school has unique relationships with behavioral health providers in their area. Some schools allow services to be provided on campus; other schools refer students off campus. Speak with your school social worker, principal or school nurse for more information about the resources provided in your area and to help connect your student to services.

For more information about specific services, funding sources and programs available for school age youth please visit Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System page. You can also download this guide for Accessing/Paying for Behavioral Health.

Need Help Now? Mental Health Crisis Resources

If this is a mental health emergency, please call 911. You are not alone and there are a network of professionals throughout the state ready to help.

Arizona Crisis Hotlines:

NEW! Resilient Arizona Crisis Counseling Program - Call 211 now to connect to a Arizona crisis counselor

The mission of Resilient Arizona CCP is to assist individuals and communities in recovering from the psychological effects of the Coronavirus pandemic through community-based outreach, emotional support and educational services. Services are provided at no cost and are available to anyone who has been impacted by the pandemic. These services are provided in safe, accessible telephonic and virtual locations. Services can be provided in a group setting or one-on-one and include supportive crisis counseling, education, development of coping skills, and connection to appropriate resources. ​​​

Crisis Response Network

Central AZ: 602-222-9444

Northern AZ: 1-877-756-4090

Southern AZ: 1-866-495-6735

National Crisis Hotlines:

National and Regional Crisis Hotlines

Crisis Text Line: Text CONNECT to 741741

Teen Life Line: Phone or Text 602-248-TEEN (8336) Monday-Friday 3 - 9 PM

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:1-800-273-TALK (8255)

National Substance Use and Disorder Issues Referral and Treatment Hotline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357)

The Trevor Project (LGBTQ+ Hotline): Phone: 1-866-488-7386 or Text: START to 678-678

Trans Lifeline: 1-877-565-8860

New! Social Emotional Learning Competencies, Resources, & Funding Guide

NEW! Arizona Social Emotional Learning Competencies and Resources, for K-12 through adulthood, released August 2020. Sign and submit the SEL Pledge!

SEL in Homes & Communities plus, Confident Parents Confident Kids

Please call the Family Assistance Center phone line to talk to someone who can provide emotional support and offer resources to any parent, especially those who need help parenting a child with emotional or behavioral health challenges: 1-877-568-8468 or visit  www.familyinvolvementcenter.org/

Resources for Creating Safe & Supportive Learning Environments

Project AWARE encourages all LEAs to implement evidenced-based programs and practices that support a positive campus climate and culture. There are multiple avenues both within ADE and nationwide to help your school get started. School Employee Wellness Guide

This guide is a resource for districts and schools with no prior experience with employee wellness initiatives as well as for those seeking to improve an existing initiative. It was written with diverse readers in mind. People in a variety of positions- from human resources directors to district superintendents to wellness coordinators-play a role in leading and supporting employee wellness initiatives. Though the guide was developed for public schools, most of the information will apply to all types of schools.
Child Trends What Works Database
Searchable register of over 700 programs that have had at least one randomized evaluation to assess child or youth outcomes related to education, life skills, and social/emotional, mental, physical, behavioral, or reproductive health
Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)
A trusted source for knowledge about high-quality, evidence-based social and emotional learning (SEL). CASEL supports educators and policy leaders and enhances the experiences and outcomes for all PreK-12 students.
Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) & PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports)
Technical Assistance Center on PBIS supports schools, districts, and states to build systems capacity for implementing a multi-tiered approach to social, emotional and behavior support. The broad purpose of PBIS is to improve the effectiveness, efficiency and equity of schools and other agencies. PBIS improves social, emotional and academic outcomes for all students, including students with disabilities and students from underrepresented groups.
Title IV-A Office of Safe & Healthy Students
The mission of the Arizona Department of Education, Office of Safe and Healthy Students, is to provide support to schools and LEAs so that every student can experience a safe, healthy, and supportive learning environment, including focusing on students physical and mental health, and safety. A safe, healthy, and supportive school environment is the product of a school's attention to fostering safety; promoting a supportive academic, disciplinary, and physical environment; and encouraging and maintaining respectful, trusting, and caring relationships throughout the school community, focusing on the fostering of positive conditions, climate, and culture, including family and community engagement.
Arizona Department of Education Title I Program
The purpose of Title I is to "provide all children significant opportunity to receive a fair, equitable, and high-quality education, and to close educational achievement gaps". Title I provides technical assistance, service and support to local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools to help ensure every child has access to an excellent education.

SchoolSafety.gov is a new website designed to help schools and communities prepare for and address various threats related to safety, security, and support in schools. Further information is available on their website.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline : 1-800-273-8255

Arizona Suicide Prevention Coalition: Mission - To change those conditions that result in suicidal acts in Arizona through awareness, intervention, and action

Comprehensive Student Threat Assessment Guide Training

Does your school have a Comprehensive School Threat Assessment (CSTAG) Team?
Learn more here: https://www.azed.gov/shs/schoolthreatassessment/

Contact Us

Project AWARE is part of the School Safety & Social Wellness Department within the Divison of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Click here to contact us!

The purpose of the Project A.W.A.R.E. Arizona is to: increase awareness of mental health issues in young people, train school personnel to detect and respond to mental health issues, and connect youth and their families to behavioral health resources.

Project AWARE supports the development and implementation of a comprehensive plan of activities, services, and strategies to decrease youth violence and support the healthy development of school-aged youth. Arizona Department of Education (ADE), in partnership with Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), is working to implement Project AWARE throughout Arizona. Project A.W.A.R.E. is a five-year grant (2018 - 2023) funded through the Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA). ​

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Free Suicide Prevention Training for Arizona Educators!Arizona Project AWARE provides evidenced-based Suicide Prevention Training that is approved by AHCCCS to meet legislative requirements, per ARS15-120. QPR Suicide Prevention Training (Online, Self paced) New!

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Advancing policies impacting chronic disease risk factors in AZ and promoting a tobacco free future.