by Kadesha Thomas, HSC Writer and
Researcher
Chicago Public Schools has recently
achieved several milestones that support the district’s efforts to
prioritize student health. Those milestones include collaborating with
the Chicago Department of Public Health to create a new Chief Health Officer
position, filled earlier in 2012; reinstating recess at elementary schools throughout
the district; officially passing an updated school wellness policy in October
2012 and a healthy snacks and beverages (competitive foods) policy in November
2012; and winning a $4.4 million federal grant to fund school health
initiatives.
The leader of the new Office of Student Health and Wellness,
Stephanie A. Whyte, MD, MBA, recently sat down with Health Schools Campaign to
talk about these milestones and how organizations like HSC helped the district get
there.
HSC: Why has school
health and wellness become such a big priority for Chicago Public Schools?
Dr. Whyte: CPS
has realized that student health has implications for academic performance. For
example, asthma is one of those illnesses that can have a great impact on
student achievement if it’s not controlled. So CPS created the Chief Health
Officer role, which was vacant for four years. I joined 9 months ago to lead
the new Office of Student Health and Wellness (OSHW). The staff were housed in Nutrition
Support Services, Special Education and other departments prior to settling
under OSHW. The new Community Transformation Grant from the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services will allow us to build the office’s capacity with six
additional staff. The department will have grown from eight to 23 since
February.
HSC: What is the Community
Transformation Grant?
Dr. Whyte: In
collaboration with the Chicago Department of Public Health, the school district
had already launched an initiative called Healthy Chicago Public Schools that
focused on nine of the 12 key priorities of Healthy Chicago, the city’s first public
health agenda. Of these nine areas focused on student health, three are
targeted by the grant: obesity prevention, decreasing tobacco use and violence prevention.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded the district nearly
$4.4 million to support outcome measures of: changes in weight, changes in
proper nutrition, changes in physical activity, changes in tobacco use, and
social/emotional well-being, which, for us, includes bullying and violence
prevention.
HSC: How did
community partners like Healthy Schools Campaign help CPS reach its recent
milestones in school health?
Dr. Whyte: The
district by itself can’t do it all. We just don’t have the capacity. We can say
‘this is the law of the land,’ but in order to successfully change a culture
you must have support from people who are well-versed and informed about the
changes. Healthy Schools Campaign has been a subject matter expert on parent
engagement, student wellness and health school environments. Before anyone was
watching, they were calling attention to these issues. That energy has helped
us build school wellness teams and to support the mission of the Office of
Student Health and Wellness.
HSC: What was HSC’s
role in positioning CPS to win the CTG grant?
Dr. Whyte: The
partnership with HSC and other organizations, like the Chicago Department of
Public Health and the Respiratory Health Association, brought a very specific
intelligence to the table and then helped us step back and look at the big
picture. That was really critical for the grant. The timing was perfect. We
were already updating the district’s wellness policy. Partners like HSC helped
us culminate all of our activities for the grant and thus create a well-rounded
24-month strategy.
HSC: The specific
role HSC plays in implementing the grant’s activities is developing a parent
engagement toolkit. Why is parent engagement such an important factor?
Dr. Whyte: I’m
from the community and have worked in the community. I’ve seen how a condition
like asthma, for example, can have a great impact on a student if it’s not
controlled. I’ve seen moms sit and cry because they didn’t know what to do.
There were a lot of assumptions that when parents got the inhaler they knew how
to use it, when to use it. Then, they were sent home — confused. But having
open, honest and engaging dialogue with parents makes a huge difference. That
is the environment the district is working hard to create, one in which parents
can freely ask questions and we improve on how we react and relate to parents. Parent
empowerment is huge! So if you’re coming
to the school to discuss your child’s asthma, you’re an active participant in
your child’s care. That’s what I want.
HSC: So what do you
hope parent engagement looks like after CPS and HSC develop the parent
engagement toolkit for schools?
Dr. Whyte: Right
now, being a principal is like being in a buffet line with so many options that
things are falling off the plate. It’s 100 people saying, ‘All you need to do
is this.’ But they can’t do everything. Remember when you would order a
computer from Dell? The service guy arrives after it’s delivered, sets it up
and you’re ready to go. That’s how I want this toolkit to function. I want any
school that uses this toolkit to be full of engaged parents and know what to do
when parents want to get involved.
HSC: How does the
district’s health and wellness strategy compare with the national prevention
and health promotion strategy for students?
Dr. Whyte: That’s
another conversation to have after we’ve reached our goals. We are the third
largest school district in the nation, so I know there are national
implications. I know there are people watching. We’ve already heard from other
school districts. But right now, it’s important for us to focus on doing a good
job for our students. Our focus is on having an impact on improving student
health locally.
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