PENINSULA HEALTH CARE DISTRICT ANNOUNCES TWO MAJOR COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS - Healthy Schools Program and Behavioral Health Services Receive $4.5 Million

Burlingame, Ca, March 5, 2012: At its regularly scheduled board meeting on February 23, the Peninsula Health Care District (PHCS) Board of Directors approved two major initiatives that support the District's objective of fostering healthy communities in San Mateo County. The board approved $4.5 million to support the Healthy Schools Initiative and hte San Mateo County Behavioral Health Psychiatric Residency Program.

The Healthy Schools Initiative reflects a three-year PHCD partnership with five districts: Burlingame, Hillsborough, Millbrae, San Bruno and San Mateo/Foster City. The 39 K-8 schools serve 24,500 students, and with current budget constraints there are "many missed opportunities for health educatoin that could impact a child's health for the rest of his/her life," according to a PHCD study. The $4 million will be used to fund positions (such as school nurses), programs, and materials that will address priority physical and mental health needs of students within the District's boundaries.

While each of the school districts has met their legislated mandates, there is much more to be done, said District Board Chair Dan Ullyot, MD. "The future health of our communities is a direct reflection of the healthy nutritional and physical fitness habits students learn during their formative years," he said. "The District will work with each of the Superintendents to identify the specific needs of their schools, students and families, so that we can be flexible and respectful of the diverse and myriad needs. School nurses, additional physical education classes, and school-based health clinics are but a few examples."

About the Peninsula Health Care District:
Created by state legislation and launched by local voter approval in 1947, the Peninsula Health Care District serves the communities of San Bruno, Millbrae, Burlingame, Hillsborough, San Mateo and Foster City by responding to local priorities and allocating resources to programs and services that address these needs. For more information, visit www.peninsulahealthcaredistrict.org.

Burlingame School District's Wellness Coordinator

Please welcome our new Wellness Coordinator, Rusty Hopewell. Below is a brief bio.

As the new District Wellness Coordinator for the Millbrae and Burlingame school districts, I am excited to bring nearly ten years of school wellness experience to the students, staff, and parents of the Burlingame and Millbrae communities. This new position, funded through the Healthy Schools Initiatives and Wellness Program partnership with the Peninsula Health Care District, will work to implement the District’s student wellness policy. The Wellness Coordinator will support ongoing efforts at the school sites while developing new opportunities that improve the physical and emotional wellbeing of our students so that they are better prepared for academic success. To borrow an analogy from my nine year old daughter’s 4H sewing group, the Wellness Coordinator will act as a thread that brings together past wellness achievements, current student needs, and future health ambitions into a coordinated fabric of wellbeing and student success that reflects the community’s core values, culture, and regional tastes. My experiences working in school health services in several of the Bay Area school districts - from cooking in the classroom, to school lunch programs, to school health clinic operations - will help guide the efforts at providing greater opportunities at improving the health and wellbeing of our students, staff, and parents.

My background as a Registered Dietitian in wholesome nutrition is accented with a passion for school nutrition services, local food systems, and gardening. I enjoy the heat of a busy kitchen and strongly believe real wholesome food, moderation, and balance are all pillars of good health. But, as a father of a very picky six-year-old eater, I’ve learned that even the best and healthiest of intentions are not always good indicators of desired outcomes. This is why one of my first tasks will include meeting with each school community to gather insight on individual school needs and resources that will better inform moving the District’s wellness policy and programs out to the schools and into the lives of our community members. The wellness policy is the District’s guide to wellness and documents past decisions that establish student wellness priorities. The policy can be accessed on the District’s website at http://bsd.k12.ca.us/modules/cms/pages.phtml?sessionid=&pageid=48624.

I look forward to working with students, parents, teachers, administrators, and district health professionals in assessing our district’s health needs and developing programs and policies that ensure health is not an academic barrier for any of our students. You input is invaluable in guiding these efforts so please do not hesitate to contact me.

Rusty Hopewell

District Wellness Coordinator

rhopewell@bsd.k12.ca.us

650.488.3663

My name is Tricia Harris and I am excited to introduce myself as the new School Nurse for the Burlingame School District. I am not new, however, to the area as I was born and raised in the bay area and attended schools in San Mateo County. I have a 6 year-old daughter who attends first grade in San Bruno. I am active with her girl scout troop, softball, and just accepted a volunteer position with AYSO working as treasurer.
 
I am a graduate of San Francisco State University where I obtained a bachelors degree in nursing as well as a certificate in public health nursing. I trained in pediatrics and public health. A large focus of my training was implementing programs for grade school children. In the Redwood City School District I worked to teach dental hygiene and nutrition in the classrooms as well as set up and participated in various immunization and health care screening clinics. Prior to my nursing career, I had a history in business management and small business ownership.
 
As the school nurse I look forward to playing a roll in helping our children maintain a healthy lifestyle. I will be frequently visiting each school site, performing state mandated vision, hearing and scoliosis testing, developing and implementing curriculum for healthy and safe choices, and creating plans of care for medically fragile children. I am always open for questions and any input you may have.
 
Tricia Harris, R.N., B.S.N.
School Nurse
tharris@bsd.k12.ca.us