Latest News Local News St. Francis gives $1 million to school health program
St. Francis gives $1 million to school health program
By SARA PLUMMER World Staff Writer
Published: 8/25/2011 2:34 AM
Public schools in northeastern Oklahoma will have another teaching tool at their disposal thanks to the St. Francis Health System.
St. Francis is providing $1 million for the program Health Teacher for at least three years. Schools in nine counties - Tulsa, Creek, Okmulgee, Osage, Pawnee, Payne, Rogers, Wagoner and Washington - will have access to the program.
Health Teacher offers more than 300 curriculums and lesson plans in an online library covering health, wellness and individual safety for students in kindergarten through high school, said Paula Maisano, director of education at St. Francis Health System.
"St. Francis has the children's hospital, so we felt a real need to provide a real health education to them," Maisano said. "The children's hospital serves all of northeast Oklahoma. We wanted to be sure we touched all the kids who may come in contact with us."
Tulsa Public Schools will be the first in the area to implement the program, said Lucky Lamons, president of the Foundation for Tulsa Schools.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime gift from St. Francis. We have one of the fastest growing obesity rates in Oklahoma. We saw this as an opportunity for our students," Lamons said.
The program also fits in with the district's community schools initiative, he said. Topics and lessons cover anatomy, community health, nutrition, alcohol and drugs, tobacco, injury prevention, mental and emotional health and physical activity.
A health education coordinator, also covered in the funding from St. Francis, would work directly with schools and teachers and offer on-site assistance, Maisano said. Officials from Health Teacher will also offer training in September for teachers who would use the program.
"You don't have to be a health expert now," Lamons said.
According to St. Francis officials, 65 percent of Oklahomans are overweight or obese, and the state consistently ranks among the worst in child obesity.
Lamons said he hopes that better health and nutrition education could help lower those percentages in the long run.
Maisano said the goal is for the program to be used in at least 70 schools for 150,000 students this year.
Read more from this Tulsa World article at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20110825_11_A13_ULNSbr931193
