This study examined school-based mental health professionals' understanding of the mirroring of ADHD and trauma symptoms and how they apply that knowledge in their schools. Specifically, the level of knowledge that participants have about this mirroring of symptoms, how they utilized this knowledge in their schools, the degree they considered…

Rural school nurses are on the front lines of providing health care for children and families in rural Colorado, but there is little research from their perspective. To fill this gap, a descriptive phenomenological study examined the experiences of nine rural school nurses through in-person audiotaped interviews. Analysis of data revealed three…

Implementing targeted (Tier 2) interventions for youth at risk of developing behavioral health concerns is critical for a comprehensive approach to school mental health. Given challenges in school-based implementation of targeted interventions, identifying factors associated with their implementation may contribute to a better understanding of…

Much attention has been focused on the importance of providing physical and mental health services to students in educational environments in recent years. Millions of students receive school-based health services, and for many students, schools are their first and only option to receive health care. State policymakers have a lot to consider in…

Type I diabetes (T1D) is one of the most common childhood diseases and Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is increasing at alarming rates. Given that children spend a great percentage of their time in school, this setting is a critical environment for models of care that lead to better management of this and other health conditions. The School Nurses Managing…

Suicide is a major cause of death in American youth. Suicide risk assessment is a promising suicide prevention strategy; however, little is known about school-based suicide risk assessment practices. The purpose of this study was to examine the scope of standardization, comprehensiveness, and follow-up procedures as part of the suicide risk…

Asthma imposes tremendous burden on children, families, and society. Successful management requires coordinated care among children, families, health providers, and schools. Building Bridges for Asthma Care Program, a school-centered program to coordinate care for successful asthma management, was developed, implemented, and evaluated. The program…

For more than 30 years, Medicaid has played a key role in paying for school health services. As the source of health insurance for 40 percent of children across the country, Medicaid helps ensure low-income children receive healthcare they need to be healthy and ready to learn. Today, new opportunities exist to enhance the role that Medicaid plays…

This policy memo is centered on student recommendations put forth at the conclusion of a six-week summer institute between the Cuba Independent School District and the University of Colorado Boulder. Students were asked to engage with different research mediums in order to better understand the context of education, its history, and the present…

Students with diabetes deserve a school nurse who can effectively manage the disease. Tensions between the school and families sometimes emerge when a child with diabetes goes to school. To resolve these tensions in Colorado, stakeholders collaborated to implement a statewide program to meet the needs of students with diabetes. Colorado school…

Background: School-located vaccination (SLV) offers an opportunity to deliver vaccines to students, particularly those without a primary care provider. Methods: This SLV program offered 2 clinics at each of 20 elementary schools (influenza vaccine) and 3 clinics at each of 7 middle/preschool-eighth-grade schools (adolescent platform plus catch-up…

This bnef document describes research and evaluations that have demonstrated that school-based health centers represent cost-effective investments of public resources.

The "Colorado Children's Budget" presents and analyzes investments and spending trends during the past five state fiscal years on services that benefit children. The "Children's Budget" focuses mainly on state investment and spending, with some analysis of federal investments and spending to provide broader context of state…

One of today's most pressing public health problems is the rise in childhood overweight and obesity. School-based health centers (SBHCs)--the convergence of public health, primary care, and mental health in schools--represent an important element in the public health toolbox for combating the challenging epidemic. When working side-by-side in a…

The Colorado Migrant Health Program recruits, hires, trains, and supervises seasonal health practitioners in summer migrant education schools throughout the state. The health services provided include comprehensive health screening of all migrant school enrollees, treatment and follow-up for identified health problems, preventive dental services,…