Coordinated School Health in Arkansas: Partnering to improve health

Background and Objective: Arkansas is one of the four original states awarded funding for a Coordinated School Health Program (CSHP) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Division of Adolescent School Health (DASH). The Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) and Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), along with key stakeholders, have collaborated to implement Coordinated School Health (CSH).

Methods: During the summer of 2006, eleven schools and numerous stakeholders were selected to participate in an ADE sponsored CSH Summer Institute. Schools were provided background information and networking opportunities. A key stakeholder group, Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, introduced a collaborative opportunity with the Balance it Out: Arkansas program, a multi-tiered initiative in three CSH school districts and communities designed to combat the obesity epidemic, implemented by Pfizer Health Solutions.

Results: The CSHP team developed an infrastructure of leadership, partnerships, resources, training and technical assistance to help schools implement CSH in local school districts and communities. The summer institute provided an opportunity for participating schools to assess, plan, and coordinate the eight-components of CSHP within their local communities. One model district in Arkansas, Paris School District, has partnered with a neighboring district, Magazine School District, to successfully implement the eight components of CSHP by working with community and state partners, securing additional grant monies, and sharing of resources.

Conclusions and Implications: The implementation of the CSH program, along with the public/private collaboration through the BIO: Arkansas program, will lead to healthier children and a healthier Arkansas.