DCH - Live Healthy Georgia

		Live Healthy Georgia
Georgia Department of Public Health

Be Active Schools

School Policies

School Tools

Resources for Schools

Tobacco-Free Schools

School Tools

Cross-cutting Resources

School Health and Safety Policies and Environment

Federal Mandate - Local Wellness Policy. In June 2004, the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act was signed into law, making it mandatory for all local education agencies (school districts) participating in USDA's school meals program to create a local wellness policy by July 1, 2006.

Fit, Healthy, Ready to Learn is designed to help state and local decision makers establish effective policies that promote high academic achievement and lifelong health.

The Healthy Kids Survey contains climate surveys for students and staff.

The Hamilton Fish Institute on School and Community Violence is a national resource for the research and development of school violence prevention strategies.

The Center for the Prevention of School Violence serves as a resource and think tank for efforts that promote safer schools and foster positive youth development. The Center provides information and technical assistance to any and all stakeholders involved with safe schools and youth development.

Health Education

CATCH (Coordinated Approach To Child Health) is a TEA approved Coordinated School Health Program designed to promote physical activity, healthy food choices, and prevent tobacco use in elementary school aged children. The CATCH Program focuses on coordinating four components: the Eat Smart school nutrition program, K-5 Classroom curriculum, a Physical Education program, and a Family program.

Generation Fit. Students ages 11-18 take part in community service projects that promote more physical activity and healthier eating among their friends and families, and in their schools and communities.

Great American Health Challenge is a comprehensive campaign created by the American Cancer Society to encourage Americans to Check, Move, Nourish and Quit for better health & reduced risk of disease, including cancer. Information, tips and tools are available by topic area.

School Health Services

Students with Chronic Illnesses: Guidance for Families, Schools and Students. School personnel will find the following resource useful for meeting the needs of students with chronic illnesses e.g., asthma, allergies, diabetes, and epilepsy. It may help parents/guardians better understand their own role and the role of the student in managing chronic illness at school. The guidance focuses on the issues common to students with many different chronic illnesses.

School Counseling, Psychological, and Social Services

School Social Work Services. The National Association of Social Workers has outlined standards that reflect and promote professionally sound practice.

The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) supports school counselors' efforts to help students focus on academic, personal/social and career development so they achieve success in school and are prepared to lead fulfilling lives as responsible members of society. ASCA provides professional development, publications and other resources, research and advocacy to more than 20,000 professional school counselors around the globe.

Health and Safety Promotion for Staff

Breastfeeding/Mother's Room. Three good reasons to implement a breastfeeding support program and provide space for breastfeeding mothers. Give your working mothers the opportunity to continue to provide their infant with the best nutrition, breast milk, when they return to work after childbirth.

Everyday Choices. The American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association and American Heart Association have joined together in a historic collaboration to encourage the prevention and early detection of cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke. "Everyday Choices For A Healthier Life" is a joint initiative; one of the goals is to stimulate improvements in disease prevention and early detection by increasing public awareness about healthy lifestyles.

Great American Health Check. The 3rd Thursday in January, the American Cander society encourages Americans to do something great by taking a health quiz and discuss the results with their doctor. Early detection can save your life from cancer and other disease.

Healthstyle: Self-Test. The Michigan Department of Community Health offers this self-test that individuals can take to help them identify areas where they can make health changes. It is meant to increase individual awareness of health, and does not replace the need for a more thorough assessment

Protecting our Assets: A School Employee Wellness Guide, published by The Directors of Health Promotion and Education (DHPE), is designed to help schools, districts, and states develop and support comprehensive school employee wellness programs that promote health and prevent employee health risk behaviors. The guide, which applies the eight-component coordinated approach to school health, addresses school worksite conditions that can compromise school employee health, reduce productivity, contribute to escalating health care costs, and impede student success. It is based on an extensive literature review as well as interviews with school and district administrators and staff who are implementing school employee wellness programs, insurance providers, and state agency staff members who provide technical assistance and training to schools and districts.

Workplace Solutions, a new worksite wellness program, includes a monthly wellness newsletter, Active For Life activity program; Meeting Well planning tool; interactive health website for employees (promoting proper nutrition, activity, weight control, sun safety and tobacco free lives), assessment tools, Tobacco Cessation guidance and support, and much more. Contact your local American Cancer Society for additional information.
1-800-ACS-2345

Family and Community Involvement

Body and Mind (BAM) is a colorful, interactive website was designed for young people to promote a variety of preventive and health enhancing behaviors. Topics addressed include physical activity, nutrition, asthma, stress, safety, injury prevention, and infectious diseases.

Healthy Kids-Healthy Weight: Tips for Families with Kids of All Shapes and Sizes. Visit this website for downloadable educational material developed for families of school-aged children of all shapes and sizes.

The American Lung Association fights lung disease in all its forms, with special emphasis on asthma, tobacco control and environmental health.

Kids' Health,created by the Nemours Foundation's Center for Children's Health Media, is aimed at families and has a specific parents' link. Parents can utilize the site or links for nutrition, physical activity, and health information related to youth.

PTA: Healthy Lifestyles. Parents want to be certain they're doing the right things to ensure that their children grow into healthy, happy adults. But how often are they given the opportunity to learn how to encourage nutritious eating and increase their families' level of physical activity? Local units are encouraged to plan events and activities that will help families adopt healthy lifestyles. This website and guide will help you plan PTA Healthy Lifestyles events at your school. Together, we can make sure our children grow up healthy!

Asthma Management Resources

School Health and Safety Policies and Environment

Clean School Bus USA helps reduce both children's exposure to diesel exhaust and the amount of air pollution created by diesel school buses. These activities include encouraging policies and practices to eliminate unnecessary public school bus idling; upgrading ("retrofitting") buses that will remain in the fleet with better emission control technologies and/or fueling them with cleaner fuels; and replacing the oldest buses in the fleet with new, less polluting buses.

The IAQ Tools for Schools Action Kit shows schools how to carry out a practical plan to improve indoor air problems at little- or no-cost using straightforward activities and in-house staff. The Kit provides best practices, industry guidelines, sample policies, and a sample IAQ management plan. The voluntary guidance can save schools time and money so that resources can be directed toward educating children.

Asthma Authorization Forms for Schools

Student Asthma Action Management/Plan Form

HealthySEAT, developed by the EPA, is a unique software tool to help school districts evaluate and manage their school facilities for key environmental, safety and health issues. The new Healthy School Environments Assessment Tool (HealthySEAT) is designed to be customized and used by district-level staff to conduct completely voluntary self-assessments of their school (and other) facilities and to track and manage information on environmental conditions school by school.

Indoor Air Quality Tools for School Program, developed by the EPA, offers a wide variety of schools-related and indoor air quality (IAQ) resources at no cost. EPA has developed these resources to share information about several IAQ issues, including mold, asthma, radon, and environmental tobacco smoke.

Ventilation/HVAC System information for Schools

IAQ Building and Ground Maintenance Checklist checklist for Custodians

Chemical Management Information for Schools

Indoor Air Repair at School Newsletter is must-read for school health and safety personnel. This newsletter offers tips on identifying indoor air quality problems and low- and no-cost solutions.

Integrated Pest Management in schools is a safer, and usually less costly option for effective pest management in a school community. A school IPM program uses common sense strategies to reduce sources of food, water and shelter for pests in your school buildings and grounds. An IPM program takes advantage of all pest management strategies, including the judicious and careful use of pesticides when necessary. Since children spend so much of their day at school, integrated pest management provides an opportunity to create a safer learning environment - - to reduce children's exposure to pesticides as well as eliminate pests. EPA is encouraging school officials to adopt IPM practices to reduce children's exposure to pesticides.

Meeting-in-a-Box Presentation Series includes all the components for asthma education. Each English kit has everything you need for a 1-hour presentation (2 hours for Spanish). Kits include: over 50 colorful slides; presenter's guide and script; meeting coordinator's guide; reproducible handouts; sample peak flow meter and spacer; meeting sign-in sheet; meeting evaluation form; and information about AAFA. (Also in the English kits: CD-ROM with electronic files of all materials plus a PowerPoint document with recently updated slides, script and handouts).

National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Asthma Guidelines

NIH Asthma Guidelines and Standard

Health information kits titled "Never Judge a Book by Its Cover, and Other Important Lessons About Asthma" were developed to disseminate accurate asthma information to Michigan schools. The packets are tailored to specific school staff:

The Coach's Asthma Clipboard is a 30-minute online educational program focuses on what coaches, referees, and physical education teachers should know about asthma, including: Asthma basics; What medications are used and when; Ways to prevent exercise-induced asthma; Steps to take when athletes are experiencing asthma attacks, including suggestions for cold-weather sports.

Using Inhalers for Asthma at School Law

Health Education

Asthma Triggers. People who have asthma have airways that are very twitchy or sensitive. They may react to things that can (that is, make) asthma symptoms start. These things are aptly called, "triggers." When you are near an asthma trigger your airways may become swollen, tighten up, and produce too much mucus. You may start to wheeze, cough, have congestion, itchy eyes, or a runny nose. It's important to find out what your asthma triggers are and figure out ways to control them.

How to Respond to an Asthma Emergency is an sasy print flyer or magnet that provides simple steps to respond to an asthma emergency.

Physical Education and Other Physical Activity Programs

Asthma and Physical Activity. Everyone needs to stay active to be physically fit. Yet 1 child in every 15 faces the challenge of asthma. This easy-to-read booklet is a perfect companion for teachers and coaches who want to help students with asthma participate in sports and physical activities. Covers the causes of asthma, symptoms of an asthma attack, how to avoid and control asthma triggers, how to help students who take medications, and how to modify activities to match children's current asthma status.

Asthma Signs & Symptoms. Asthma attacks or episodes hardly ever happen without warning. The warning signs for an attack are not the same for everyone. They may be mild, and may not seem to be related to asthma. Warning signs may start 24 to 48 hours before an asthma attack begins, and should be treated as early asthma symptoms.

Exercise-Induced Asthma. When asthma is triggered only by physical activity, it is called exercise-induced asthma (EIA). Just as with other asthma triggers, a person who is triggered into an asthma attack by exercise has airways that narrow and tighten after he or she begins, and symptoms of EIA can be much worse with seasonal allergies. Fast, hard breathing, wheezing and a tight chest are signs of an asthma attack. People with EIA may also have extra mucus in their lungs that makes them cough during an attack. The symptoms usually start within five to ten minutes after exercise, and may last as long as 30 minutes. An asthma attack can be very serious and scary. If people with EIA don't get treatment, they will often limit themselves from taking part in physical activities. Remember, EIA can be controlled, so that people who suffer from it can be as active as they want to be.

Enviro Flash Notification System. Your local air quality affects how you live and breathe. Like the weather, it can change from day to day, or even hour to hour. Up-to-date information allows you to make decisions based on forecasted air quality. EnviroFlash comes to you, notifying you about air quality- you don't have to go searching for it.

PEF or Peak Expiratory Flow is a measure of how fast you can blow out. If the PEF number goes down, it can mean that your asthma is starting to get worse.

School Health Services

Managing Asthma, A Guide for Schools assists schools that are planning or maintaining an asthma management program for their students with asthma.

Written Asthma Action Plan Components and Distribution. A written asthma action plan, developed jointly by the health care provider and the patient, will help the patient manage his or her asthma. There are many different asthma action plan formats. Some examples are included on this site. It is important to make an Asthma Action Plan that works well for you!