Strategies for School Health Public Relations*

__ Establish a Speakers' bureau. Talk to the PTA and other school groups on health issues (e.g., speak on teenage pregnancy and provide statistical data).

__ Invite schools and students to perform at association meetings.

__ Host a breakfast for school personnel or news media to discuss health or school issues.

__ Set up a shadowing program in which students (elementary, middle, and high school) "shadow" a physician for a day to learn more about the profession.

__ Join a local school committee, such as a school health council.

__ Partner with a school or school system department (e.g., health and social services).

__ Offer to swap publications with area schools-you provide them with pamphlets and informational flyers related to medical issues, and they provide you with publications such as yearbooks, brochures, and newsletters. Schools and physician's offices are places where many people spend substantial time. This gives the school and the physician another opportunity to get their messages out to their customers.

__ Provide articles on child and /health topics to school and school system newsletter editors (e.g., lice treatment, immunizations, tuberculosis and immigrants, tips for avoiding the flu, the importance of regular checkups, safety).

__ Submit op-ed articles or letters to the editor.

__ Meet annually with the superintendent of the district and discuss medical and healthy child issues.

__ Learn legal requirements of school districts related to the Americans with Disabilities Act.

__ Be visible to the community and participate in open, honest dialogue about issues and attitudes on being responsible for meeting the health needs of children.

__ Speak and interact regularly with local school administrators and their staff on health-related issues.

__ Hold training for local school staff on medical issues (e.g., when to call 911 and medical procedures such as catheterization and tube feeding).

__ Keep your local schools current on front-line health issues.

__ Track and advise schools on suggested new policies and assist in writing them (e.g., testing immigrant students for tuberculosis).

__ Assist local schools to develop procedures for giving daily medication.

__ Have a crisis hot line for parents and your patients to ask questions about issues.

__ Develop an open relationship with news media. Meet annually with the editorial staff of the local newspapers.

__ Assist in setting up medical review committees to review requests for individualized education plans (IEPs).

__ Be willing to examine and treat patients pro bono and take referrals from teachers or schools in crisis situations. Twelve percent of families have no insurance.

__ Assist in forming a coalition of agencies for wraparound services of fragile families.

__ Participate in scoliosis screenings at the local school. Also help parents realize the importance of these screenings.

__ Network with other health care professionals-help them see the importance of creating a link between health officials and schools.

"It takes a whole community to raise a child."

*Adapted with permission from materials developed by Louise Radloff, Gwinnett County Board of Education