School Health

Florida Department of Health - School Health Services Program The School Health Program provides health services to all students in grades kinder-garten through twelve in Santa Rosa County. School health services are provided through a cooperative arrangement with the School Board and Pediatric Services of America (PSA). A specially trained PSA Health Technician is on duty daily in all public schools in our county. Seven Department of Health School Nurses facilitate the School Health Program in the thirty one schools in our county, providing services to over 25,000 students.

Services

Services provided include, but may not be limited to:

Vision Screening*
Hearing Screening*
Scoliosis Screening*
Height and Weight Assessments/Body Mass Index (BMI)*
Nursing Assessment
Immunizations and Health Record Review
Health Counseling
Individual Emergency Health Care Planning for students as needed
Assist parents with health referrals and finding community resources

* Mandated screenings are conducted from October to January during the

school year. If you would like more information or wish to volunteer to

assist, please contact your school.

TOP - Teen Outreach Program

Wyman Teen Outreach Program - Real Teens. Real Life. Real Results. Teen Outreach Program (TOP) is a nationally recognized positive youth curriculum that encourages development in 3 areas:

Healthy Behavior
Life Skills
A Sense of Purpose

The Florida Department of Health received a five year grant from the Office of Adolescent Health (OAH), a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to implement the Teen Outreach Program in high schools in 26 Florida counties. Santa Rosa County was one of the counties that was chosen.

TOP was specifically selected because it has been identified by the Department of Health and Human Services as an evidence-based model effective in reducing high-risk behavior among teenagers. It has been proven effective in increasing academic success and preventing teen pregnancy and other negative behaviors among youth. TOP's evidence-based outcomes have included a:

52% lower risk of school suspension
60% lower risk of course failure
53% lower risk of pregnancy

In Santa Rosa County (SRC), the curriculum will be implemented in the 9th grade HOPE classes over the next four school years. Three schools were randomly selected for the 2011/2012 school year TOP curriculum implementation: Pace High School, Gulf Breeze High School, and Central High School. Before the end of the 4 year curriculum, all six SRC high schools will receive the curriculum.

For more information about TOP please visit http://www.wymantop.org/.

Obesity Toolkit

The Florida Department of Health in Santa Rosa County has put together a variety of research tools, materials, and internet links on our Obesity Toolkit web page to help parents and children find the answers they need to make healthier food choices and be more active. Click on the link to visit: Obesity Toolkit.

Additional Resources

http://www.santarosa.k12.fl.us/stuserv - for more information on School health in Santa Rosa County. Click on Health Services to find school health entry requirements, a list of health services provided by school health personnel, school board policies related to health and much more.

http://www.doh.state.fl.us/Family/school/ - for more information on the Florida School Health program.

http://www.fasn.net/ - Florida Association of School Nurses

http://www.nasn.org/ - National Association of School Nurses