Local School Students Go to Springfield to Support School Health Centers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 8, 2008
Contact
Heidi Britton, Program Coordinator, Urbana School Health Center
(217) 239-4220
Lori A. Holmes, Public Relations
(217) 531-2927
Local School Students Go to Springfield to Support School Health Centers
Urbana School Representatives will Participate in Advocacy Day in Support of School Health Centers
Urbana, IL – On Wednesday, April 9, 2008, several school students from the Urbana School District along with their peers from across the state of Illinois will travel to the state capitol to support local school health centers. Students and Urbana School Health Center staff will meet at the capitol building to ask local representatives to support the return of school health center funding to the state budget. Urbana School students will have the opportunity to speak with Senator Mike Frerichs and Representative Naomi Jakobsson to discuss how essential school health centers are to their schools and communities and specifically how important the Urbana School Health Center is to them personally.
Advocacy Day, an event sponsored by the Illinois Coalition for School Health Centers, is a great opportunity for students to engage in state government. Students will participate in a morning workshop which focuses on the basic skills necessary for advocating causes with governmental bodies. After lunch, the student will have the opportunity to practice their proficiency by advocating on behalf of School Health Centers with state legislators.
“The value of our student’s physical and mental health is immeasurable,” said Heidi Britton, Program Coordinator for the Urbana School Health Center, “School Health Centers need stable funding to ensure the well-being of our children.”
School health centers currently fill the gap for many vulnerable students by providing access to health care on school grounds, during the school day. School health centers are saving lives by preventing and treating chronic illnesses such as diabetes, asthma and sexually transmitted diseases; and providing critical mental health services, like grief therapy, crisis intervention (including bullying prevention), and suicide prevention. National and local studies have shown that school health centers decrease school absenteeism, reduce emergency room visits and reduce unhealthy behaviors in students that compromise academic success.
The Urbana School Health Center (USHC) is located at the Urbana High School at 1002 South Race Street in Urbana. USHC is a collaborative partnership of the ChampaignUrbana Public Health District, Urbana School District #116, Frances Nelson Community Health Center, Mental Health Center of Champaign County, and Prairie Center Health Systems. USHC is open Monday thru Friday; 8:00am – 4:00pm.
For more information about the Urbana School Based Health Center or other CUPHD partnerships, programs and services, please call 217-352-7961 or visit CUPHD on the web at www.cuphd.org.
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