Friday Beat
May 12, 2017 Edition
The newsletter that takes a Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child approach.
Announcements
DSHS-School Nurse Notes: Wound Care
The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) School Health Program just posted the May issue of the DSHS-School Nurse Notes. It looks at the age-old topic of wound care through the lens of the most recent research on the healing process itself and wound healing products. The next issue will be released in August 2017.
Rising Star Award—Applications: Due: May 19, 2017
This is a reminder that applications/letters of support for the Rising Star Award are due next week. The awards will be presented during Texas Obesity Awareness Week (September 11-15, 2017) in Austin. Awardees also will be featured on the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living website, blog, and other media sources.
Awards for Excellence in Texas School Health (AFE)
The AFE program recognizes local school health initiatives with four types of awards. Has your school or district implemented a health project this school year and obtained final results? Did your school/district win a Reaching for Excellence Award for this project in 2015? Health projects that have been implemented for at least an entire school year, and for which there are final results, may be submitted for a Discovery Award of $1,500. Even if project results are not yet finalized, you can begin the AFE application process. Please contact the School Health Program at (512) 776-7279, if you have any questions about eligibility or completion of the 2017 Discovery Award Application. It is due by August 31, 2017!
Professional Development Opportunities
National Walking Summit—September 13-15, 2017
America Walks will host Vital and Vibrant Communities: The Power of Walkability in St. Paul, Minnesota. Early bird registration is available through July 14.
Funding Opportunities
SuperFit School Challenge
Would you like to jump start fall fundraising activities? If so, visit the Action for Healthy Kids website to learn about their new, interactive fundraising program—the SuperFit School Challenge. For additional information, please contact Social Enterprise Director Pam Soto at or (312) 324-0436.
Physical Education & Physical Activity
Rapid Head Movements Implicated
More than 3 million children, middle-school-aged and younger, play soccer. Yet much of the research is focused on the collegiate or adult population. In soccer, it is generally believed that most concussive injuries are caused by unintentional head impacts (i.e., head-to-head, head-to-post). However, a recent study showed that heading the ball was also a significant cause of concussion. The acceleration and deceleration of the head, rather than the impact of the ball, is the main concern; for this reason, helmets would not offer protection. Researchers suggest that soccer athletes who participate in heading be monitored for concussive symptoms.
Nutrition Environment & Services
USDA Guidance on Accommodating Disabilities
Recently the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a Question and Answer memorandum (Q & A memo) designed to provide practical guidance related to accommodating disabilities in the School Meal Programs. This Q & A memo is a companion piece to SP 59-2016, which the USDA issued in September of last year.
Food Waste Webinar: The Latest Movement—May 17, 2017
At 1:00-2:15 p.m. CDT, the School Nutrition Association will present Best of #SNIC17 4 of 4. Attendees will learn practical ideas and innovations from schools and restaurants to help them reduce, reuse, and recycle. One continuing education unit may be earned upon successful completion of the webinar and quiz.
Health Services
Zika Resources for Health Professionals
The Zika in Texas website provides all necessary virus-related information for our state. It is recommended that school nurses visit the Health Care Professionals webpage and sign up for email updates by clicking on the link in the upper right corner of the page. Resources include information about Zika Care Connect (ZCC)—a network for health care professionals developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and maintained in collaboration with the March of Dimes—and the CDC’s Vital Signs report and associated Zika fact sheet and infographic.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has a Zika virus disease webpage. You might be interested in its Zika digital timeline, which begins in 1947.
School Nurse Poster
National School Nurse Day was May 10, 2017, and the Ask, Listen, Learn program offers a downloadable poster that could be an important addition to the nurse’s office. The poster, “Alcohol and the Developing Brain,” describes how alcohol affects different parts of the brain and human behavior. School nurses play a vital role in keeping their school communities healthy and preventing underage drinking.
Counseling, Psychological & Social Services
Substance Use to Soothe the Self
Mental illness and addiction are frequently comorbid conditions due to people with mental illness trying to self-medicate with harmful substances. According to the 2016 Texas School Survey of Drug and Alcohol Use, 22.6 percent of students in grades 7-12 reported having used an illicit drug and 18.5 percent reported having used a prescription drug not prescribed to them. Use the Texas School Survey data to track state and regional trends of tobacco, alcohol and drug use; reports and data can be found on the Texas School Survey website.
Social & Emotional Climate
#RelationshipGoals Webinar—May 18, 2017
At 1:00-2:00 p.m. CDT, the School-Based Health Alliance (SBHA) will present this webinar. Members of the SBHA’s Youth Advisory Council will provide perspectives on the social determinants of health that influence relationships and offer ideas for how teens and adults can work together to develop and implement programming.
Employee Wellness
Status Report for Step It Up!
In 2015, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released Step It Up! The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Walking and Walkable Communities. This report highlights the state of walking/walkability at the time of the release, as well as how groups across the U.S. have advanced the goal of increasing walking since that time. Pages 23-24 include hyperlinks to walking and walkability resources.
Quote to Note
“A mother’s happiness is like a beacon, lighting up the future but reflected also on the past in the guise of fond memories.”
— Honoré de Balzac, French novelist and playwright
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The articles and hyperlinks to external websites appearing in Friday Beat are intended to be informational and do not represent an endorsement by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). Other websites may not be accessible to people with disabilities. External email addresses may also be provided as a courtesy. If you choose to correspond, please be advised that DSHS policies may not apply. For information about any of the programs listed, contact the sponsoring organization directly. For comments or questions about Friday Beat, email the School Health Program at or call (512) 776-7279.
Public Domain. Permission granted to forward or make copies as needed.
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