Wednesday, September 9, 2015

School receives grant to promote health programs in schools around Indiana

The School of Public Health-Bloomington is continuing its focus on promoting wellness not just within the university, but throughout the community as well. The School was rewarded a three year AmeriCorps grant from Serve Indiana, which will be used to promote a program called Healthy Schools Corps in ten counties in Indiana. Studies of Indiana school districts reveal that the main problems in having well-organized health programs were an absence of central leadership and coordination, an inability to recruit outside volunteers, and a lack of structured management of volunteers. The Healthy Schools Corps will provide a solution to these problems. Members of AmeriCorps will assist the school districts with recruiting and managing volunteers and coordinating health programs.

This program will be implemented with help from Lisa Petscher, the manager of coordinated school health for IU Health Bloomington. Alongside the School of Public Health and other community partners, Petscher will work with the Monroe County Community School Corp. to promote this and other coordinated health programs to numerous school districts. Said Petscher, “Partnerships like this are essential.  It takes a village, and everyone needs to play a role in the health of future generations.” The School of Public Health is certainly playing an important role to ensure the well being of present and future generations.