title: A statewide institute to deliver professional development programs to school health personnel in Massachusetts.
abstract: Schoolchildren suffer from health problems ranging from chronic medical and developmental problems to new morbidities related to drugs, violence, and sexual behavior. To help administrators, teachers, and health personnel meet the new challenges in schools, nursing educators from the University of Massachusetts and Simmons College developed the UMass-Simmons School Health Institute. The Institute delivers a series of professional development programs in all regions of the commonwealth to: 1) devise innovative strategies to remove health barriers to learning and to promote the health of children and adolescents, and 2) enhance the design, implementation, integration, and management of comprehensive school health programs, including those mandated and regulated by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This article describes a statewide model to prepare school health personnel for delivery of comprehensive school health services.
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth 02747-2300, USA.
authors.forename: P W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Piessens
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ryan
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Millette
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sheetz
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Douglass
authors.forename: P N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Rissmiller
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000488:Allied Health Personnel / Q000193:education; D002648:Child; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training / Q000379:methods*; D008404:Massachusetts; D016730:Program Development / Q000379:methods*; D012572:School Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000639:trends