School Liaison

The School Liaison serves to provide support and resources to all schools K-12 within Howard County. Funding from the IN Department of Health allows the local health department to partner with the schools and community in the following ways:

• Building supportive relationships with the schools (public, private, parochial)
• Providing services and programming found beneficial to schools
• Enhancing education and services to promote physical and mental health for students and staff
• Partnering with community agencies to provide wrap around support to the schools and the students. Some of our community partners include:
  • Turning Point System of Care – Peer Recovery Coaching Program and Stanford University’s You And Me: Together, Vape Free curriculum
  • YMCA – Tobacco Coalition & advocacy to reduce and prevent youth tobacco and nicotine use
  • Indiana Wesleyan University, Kokomo Thriving Center – Teacher Bootcamps and partnership in the Faith Leaders and Non Profit Council on Mental Health
  • Purdue – HERO’S Story Time curriculum for grades K-2
  • Ascension St. Vincent – Stop The Bleed training and kits for school staff
• Supporting the schools by:
  • Providing hands-on support in the school/districts when supporting OR coordinating initiatives. For example:
    • Identification of resources to support schools during screening events
    • Assistance with entering immunizations information into CHIRP
    • Developing educational trainings to support requests of the schools
    • Providing emergency preparedness training and support i.e., stop the bleed, CPR, ensuring AEDs are present and functioning, securing the emergency medications in schools
    • Identifying both external and internal resources available to support LHDs and schools
    • Consider partnerships with local vendors and community members to support the needs of the schools
  • Continuing and sustaining best practices and initiatives as identified through this work

Here are some initiatives currently being carried out with participating schools:

• In-school immunization clinics
• Mental Health Resiliency Program
  • Teacher Bootcamps
  • Student Workshops
  • Peer Recovery Coaching Program
• Providing Stop the Bleed Kits and training
• Providing emergency medications: Naloxone, Epinephrine, Albuterol
• Providing hygiene and clothing items
• Assisting with scheduling mobile dental screenings/services
• Offering on-site hand washing lessons
• Distributing quarterly Parent Newsletters for communicable disease education and other helpful resources
• Developing a communicable Disease Plan Template with all the schools

Have questions, want to request support, or have ideas for new initiatives you’d like to see implemented in your school? Contact Howard County’s School Liaison!