Chronic absence, defined most commonly as missing 10 percent or more of school for any reason (including excused and unexcused absences and suspensions), is a cross-cutting metric that is both a warning sign and predictor of education and health outcomes. California has recognized the power of chronic absence as a tool for better understanding…

The Region 15 Comprehensive Center (R15 CC) and the Regional Educational Laboratory West (REL West), both housed at WestEd, collaborated with the California Department of Education (CDE) and the California State Board of Education (SBE) to conduct an initial landscape analysis to understand the current state of school-based mental health referral…

In the United States, health insurance coverage for autism spectrum disorder treatments has been historically limited. In response, as of 2015, 40 states and Washington, DC, have passed state autism insurance mandates requiring many health plans in the private insurance market to cover autism diagnostic and treatment services. This study examined…

Schools function as the major provider of mental health services (MHS) for youth, but can struggle with engaging them in services. School nurses are well-positioned to facilitate referrals for MHS. This pilot study examined the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of an engagement protocol (EP) designed to enhance school nurses'…

Objectives: This article describes the Standard Interview for Evidence Use (SIEU), a measure to assess the level of engagement in acquiring, evaluating, and applying research evidence in health and social service settings. Method: Three scales measuring input, process, and output of research evidence and eight subscales were identified using…

The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Survey (HCAHPS) is a standardized survey instrument used by many hospitals for the purpose of measuring patient's perspectives regarding care received during their hospitalization. The survey provides national benchmark information enabling consumers to make comparisons of…

Strong mental and behavioral health supports on campus can improve the academic performance of students and increase their resilience and ability to handle stress, with reduced suicide rates, substance abuse, and eating disorders, but this study reveals that students with mental health disabilities continue to face barriers to accessing counseling…

This study is a formative evaluation of the OneStop Career Center Integrated Service Delivery (ISD) Model within the California Workforce System. The study was sponsored by the California Workforce Investment Board. The study completed four in-depth case studies of California OneStops to describe how they implemented the ISD model which brings…

This publication offers a checklist for identifying strengths and weaknesses of school health programs. The instrument can be used by school personnel, community members, or by an outside team of experts. Criteria are expressed in terms of desirable practices, with provisions for judging, on a five-point scale, the extent to which program…

A research project acquired and compiled information on the services (from state and federally funded programs in California) available for chemically dependent pregnant and parenting women and young drug-exposed children from birth to age 3. The research methods consisted of a literature review and a survey of 13 key state and federally funded…

Developed by the Office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges in response to legislative mandate, this report provides a brief epidemiological background on the Human Immune Deficiency Virus epidemic, a summary of actions taken by the Board of Governors and the Chancellor's Office, results of a survey of the colleges regarding…

A study designed to assess health education in public schools in California, Nevada, and Utah is reported. Results are compared to those of the School Health Education Study (SHES) which was conducted twenty years ago. Information is provided on the needs, goals, programs, participants, and materials of school health education in large, small, and…

Surveys were mailed to all nurse practitioners (NPs), physician assistants (PAs) and certified nurse midwives (CNMs) registered in California, asking questions about education, labor force participation, specialty, and location and type of practice site, as well as the demographic characteristics of these professionals and their patients. Response…

This report is an evaluation of an adult workplace literacy and English-as-a-Second-Language program for Napa Valley (California) vineyard workers of limited English proficiency. Many of the classes were held at the worksite. The first section of the report details the project's stated objectives and measures of accomplishment, anecdotal success…