Arkansas Children's Hospital, Arkansas Coordinated School Health and HealthTeacher Partner to Improve Health Literacy of Children.-- Online curriculum to be used by teachers in more than 270 Arkansas schools -- NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Arkansas Children's Hospital Arkansas Children's Hospital, an affiliate of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, is the only pediatric medical center in Arkansas and one of the largest in the United States, serving children from birth to age 21. , in partnership with the Arkansas Department of Education and the Arkansas Department of Health through their Coordinated School Health Program, announced today that approximately 8,000 kindergarten kindergarten [Ger.,=garden of children], system of preschool education. Friedrich Froebel designed (1837) the kindergarten to provide an educational situation less formal than that of the elementary school but one in which children's creative play instincts would be through high school teachers will have access to HealthTeacher's comprehensive on-line health education curriculum with the goal of improving the health literacy health literacy Health care A measure of a person's ability to understand health-related information and make informed decisions about that information; HL includes interpreting prescriptions and following self care insturctions. Cf Literacy. of students in the 270+ participating schools. "Arkansas Children's Hospital has long maintained an active community outreach Outreach is an effort by an organization or group to connect its ideas or practices to the efforts of other organizations, groups, specific audiences or the general public. ," says Scott Gordon, Executive Vice President at Arkansas Children's Hospital. "Our desire is to reach children, their families and the people who influence and shape their lives in the most effective way we can. Partnering with educators to teach health in schools is a natural way for us to reach children so we can positively impact their health habits." Many high-risk health behaviors often are established during childhood and adolescence adolescence, time of life from onset of puberty to full adulthood. The exact period of adolescence, which varies from person to person, falls approximately between the ages 12 and 20 and encompasses both physiological and psychological changes. , which extend into adulthood. These behaviors are preventable with proper education. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the Centers for Disease Control in the 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, Arkansas students are at an equal or greater risk of lifetime cigarette use, attempted suicide, lifetime alcohol use, and obesity obesity, condition resulting from excessive storage of fat in the body. Obesity has been defined as a weight more than 20% above what is considered normal according to standard age, height, and weight tables, or by a complex formula known as the body mass index. when compared to U.S. students. Natural Wonders - The State of Children's Health Children's Health Definition Children's health encompasses the physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being of children from infancy through adolescence. in Arkansas, a research effort led by Arkansas Children's Hospital and supported by multiple agencies and healthcare providers in the state, lists obesity, injury prevention, alcohol and tobacco use as current issues facing Arkansas youth. * An average of 18% of Arkansas youth are overweight Overweight Refers to an investment position that is larger than the generally accepted benchmark. Notes: For example, if a company normally holds a portfolio whose weighting of cash is 10%, and then increases cash holdings to 15%, the portfolio would have an overweight * Only 13% ate the daily recommend amount of fruits and vegetables * Over 27% have ridden in a vehicle driven by someone drinking alcohol * Currently, over 25% use cigarettes * Routine dental care was needed for more than 22% of children "We are grateful to Arkansas Children's Hospital for their leadership and support of improving the health literacy of Arkansas' children," says Laura McDowell, Director, Coordinated School Health, Arkansas Department of Education. "This coordinated effort to provide our teachers the resources and continued training they need, supports the mission of Coordinated School Health, and will help improve the health habits of our children." "By helping children start healthy habits healthy habit Good habit, see there now, Arkansas' teachers can make a difference that will last a lifetime," says Scott McQuigg, Chief Executive Officer of HealthTeacher. "This is a progressive partnership and we are honored to be working with Arkansas Children's Hospital and Arkansas Coordinated School Health to deliver a sustainable, comprehensive approach to improving the health of Arkansas' children." "HealthTeacher reaches children in a way that is effective by providing educators the tools and resources necessary to easily integrate health education into the classroom," says Gordon. "We believe supporting education professionals in the classroom will make the significant difference in helping every child in Arkansas achieve his or her full potential." The HealthTeacher curriculum covers 10 key content areas designed to help students develop a knowledge and skill base that enables them to pursue healthy lifestyles throughout their lives. Teachers whose schools participate in Coordinated School Health will have the opportunity to attend HealthTeacher training events across the state this summer. To learn more about the partnership, visit www.healthteacher.com/arkansas. About Arkansas Children's Hospital Arkansas Children's Hospital is the only pediatric pediatric /pe·di·at·ric/ (pe?de-at´rik) pertaining to the health of children. pe·di·at·ric adj. Of or relating to pediatrics. medical center in Arkansas and one of the largest in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. serving children from birth to age 21. The campus spans 29 city blocks and houses 316 beds, a staff of approximately 500 physicians, 80 residents in pediatrics and pediatric specialties and more than 4,200 employees. The private, nonprofit A corporation or an association that conducts business for the benefit of the general public without shareholders and without a profit motive. Nonprofits are also called not-for-profit corporations. Nonprofit corporations are created according to state law. healthcare facility boasts an internationally renowned reputation for medical breakthroughs and intensive treatments, unique surgical procedures Surgical procedures have long and possibly daunting names. The meaning of many surgical procedure names can often be understood if the name is broken into parts. For example in splenectomy, "ectomy" is a suffix meaning the removal of a part of the body. "Splene-" means spleen. and forward-thinking medical research - all dedicated to fulfilling our mission of enhancing, sustaining and restoring children's health and development. ACH (Automated Clearing House) A system of the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank that provides electronic funds transfer (EFT) between banks. It is used for all kinds of fund transfer transactions, including direct deposit of paychecks and monthly debits for routine payments to , recently named for the third time as one of U.S. News & World Report's best pediatric hospitals, also has ranked twice on FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For[R], most recently at No. 85. For more information, visit www.archildrens.org. About HealthTeacher HealthTeacher is a leading provider of online health education resources for kindergarten through 12th grade used by more than 20,000 teachers nationwide. HealthTeacher provides teachers the resources, tools and background material to educate students about making healthy lifestyle choices through over 300 lesson plans that meet or exceed the National Health Education Standards and the Center for Disease Control's Core Health Topics. HealthTeacher is an operating unit operating unit A type of operating company that engages in transactions with outsiders and that is owned by another business. For example, in 1995 the stockholders of Capital Cities/ABC approved a $19 billion merger with the Walt Disney Company, whereupon of ConnectivHealth, a leading provider of digital content solutions focused on advancing health and wellness. To learn more, visit www.healthteacher.com. Coordinated School Health Coordinated School Health is a collaborative partnership between the Arkansas departments of Education, Health, and Human Services. Our goal is improve the health, education and well being of our children, families, schools, and communities by providing information, resources, and technical assistance. Coordinated School Health is funded at the state level by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Division of Adolescent School. The Coordinated School Health model consists of eight interactive components. Schools by themselves cannot--and should not be expected to--solve the nation's most serious health and social problems. Families, health care workers, the media, religious organizations, community organizations that serve youth, and young people themselves also must be systematically involved. However, schools could provide a critical facility in which many agencies might work together to maintain the well-being of young people. To learn more visit www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/CSHP or www.arkansascsh.org. |
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