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Five Years and Moving Forward: A Successful Joint Academic‐Practice Public Partnership to Improve the Health of Hawaii's Schoolchildren
Author(s) -
Davis Katherine Finn,
Loos Joanne R.,
Boland Mary G.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of school health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.851
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1746-1561
pISSN - 0022-4391
DOI - 10.1111/josh.13034
Subject(s) - general partnership , public health , medical education , public relations , call to action , medicine , political science , nursing , business , marketing , law
ABSTRACT BACKGROUND In 2014, the Hawaii Department of Education (DOE), the only statewide school system in the United States, predominately enrolled children (keiki) from underserved communities and lacked school nurses or a school health program. Chronic absenteeism due to health concerns was identified as a barrier to academic success. METHODS The DOE and a public university created Hawaii Keiki: Healthy and Ready to Learn (HK), a program to provide school‐based services for 170 Title 1 schools in urban and rural settings and build momentum for statewide collective action. HK has maintained support from public and private entities to address student health. RESULTS This paper describes 5 years of program development, implementation, and continuing challenges. Most recently in 2020‐2021, HK pivoted in the face of school campus closings due to COVID‐19 with strategic plans, including telehealth, to move forward in this changed school environment. CONCLUSIONS The HK program has increased awareness of students' needs and is addressing the imperative to build health services within public schools. The multipronged approach of building awareness of need, providing direct services, educating future care providers, and supporting sound policy development, has an impact that goes beyond any one individual area.