Kari Sullivan, BA and Sue Peters, PNP, MPH

 Health issues contribute to chronic absenteeism.  Improving and sustaining  good  attendance requires the active engagement of district, school, and  community  partners, and understanding root causes and the impact on  learning.  This session includes successful strategies for reducing chronic absenteeism through school attendance teams, analyzing data, identifying trends and contributing factors, and ways SBHCs can support families and schools to improve attendance.  Ms. Sullivan will present findings from the CT Department of Education. Ms. Peters will describe the New Haven Public School SBHC pilot program -- Healthy Attendance Matters – a program that is proving to be a success in reducing chronic absenteeism. Participants will learn about collaboration between the SBHC, school nurses, and other partners; successes and challenges of the pilot, and tools that will help other school districts/SBHCs replicate the program.

A4: Building Concussion Management Teams in School Based Health Centers

  Karen Laugel, MD 

 This workshop will help SBHCs construct a concussion management policy, develop clinical skills for evaluating concussion injuries, and implement concussion management team building. Participants will gain knowledge of the current science of the injury and best practices for clinical evaluation, including hands-on demonstration of oculomotor and vergence measures, King-Devick testing, and balance measures. Dr. Laugel will facilitate a discussion on guidelines for creating a concussion management policy in the school, and the current CT law regarding “Return to Play” protocols.  Dr. Laugel is the medical director and founder of HeadZone Concussion Care in Shelton, CT.

A5: Child Trafficking and Exploitation: A Prevention Perspective

Kimberly Casey, MPP 

 Child trafficking and exploitation is complex, and it is important that  professionals in schools understand nuances, casual factors, and  potential responses. This interactive workshop will define key t  terminology related to human trafficking and commercial sexual  exploitation (HT/CSE), articulate the personal and environmental factors  that can increase youth’s vulnerability to HT/CSE, recognize common  indicators, and describe how to respond and make appropriate referrals  to providers that can meet the needs of vulnerable and exploited youth.  Ms. Casey is the Director of Prevention for Love 146, an international organization dedicated to ending human trafficking.

Afternoon Workshops 

B1:  Improving and Sustaining Your SBHC Practice: Taking Action on Asthma

Dr. Bournaki from the CT Department of Public Health Asthma Program will provide an overview of chronic disease burden from asthma in Connecticut’s children and adolescents – an issue seen in every SBHC from elementary to high school.  A quality improvement framework will be provided to help SBHCs improve practice, service delivery, and outcomes in children with asthma. Dr. Ayers-LaFave will outline a team-based approach that can be used in an SBHC including easy-to-apply tools to facilitate the improvement process. Dr. Goddard, medical services coordinator of an SBHC program in southeastern CT, will outline the process that was tested at 4 SBHCs to increase influenza vaccinations in children with some severity of asthma.  Participants will be provided with concrete examples of putting QI into practice as demonstrated at the Southeastern CT SBHCs.   

B2: Supporting Children with Autism in School and Beyond Graduation

Brianna Lewis, M.Ed, PhD; and Julie Wolf; PhD. 

 

B3: Lyme and Tick- Borne Infections: Medical and Mental Health Implications for School Based Health Practitioners 

Kenneth Liegner, MD; Sheila Statlender, PhD; and Judith Leventhal, PhD

 Lyme disease can have a profound impact on affected persons, including  children. This workshop will discuss the medical and mental health aspects  of Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections. Dr. Liegner will provide an  overview of the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease and common tick-  borne co-infections. Participants will gain skills to aid in assessing students,  identify resources that can be incorporated into the plan of care, and learn to tailor the treatment of the infections to the individual student. Dr. Statlender and Dr. Leventhal will help school based health providers screen students for potential exposure and to identify the emotional, behavioral, and cognitive symptoms associated with tick-borne infections.  They will provide information about the impact of these infections on mental health, cognition, and academic performance. 

B4: Harm Reduction, Addiction and Opiate Overdose Prevention and Response

The opiate overdoes epidemic sweeping the nation is well known and affects nearly everyone.   In CT from 2009-2015, there were over 2,500 accidental and unintentional opioid involved deaths in 152 of the state’s 169 towns.  CT has made great strides in its attempt to address the issue. This workshop will address substance use, the changing landscape, stigma, harm reduction, and overdose prevention and response.  Participants will learn about the history of naloxone programs and how to recognize and respond to an overdose -- including how to administer Narcan. Participants will gain the latest information, increase their ability to assess the overdose risk of their clients, and apply the principles of harm reduction to their practice. 

B5: Enhancing Student Supports to Reduce School-Based Arrests: CT School-Based Diversion Initiative

Nearly 70% of youth in juvenile detention have a diagnosable behavioral health condition, and a disproportionate number of school-based arrests involve youth of color with behavioral health needs.  Participants will learn about the CT School-Based Diversion Initiative’s efforts to reduce in-school arrests through intensive school-based interventions and enhanced mental health services and supports, particularly the state’s Mobile Crisis Intervention Services (EMPS). Presenters will share model development, implementation steps and outcome data that have resulted in reducing arrests, strengthening school climate, and meeting the behavioral health needs of students. Participants will learn how SBDI reduces discretionary in-school arrests, suspensions and expulsions, and links youth with behavioral health needs to community based services and supports.  Attendees will receive “The SBDI Toolkit: A Community Resource for Reducing School-Based Arrests.”