12: The National Role in Coordinated School Health Programs

National Level Organizations can influence support for CSHP and implementation from both government and nongovernmental organizations. Young people’s health and academic achievement are concerns for hundreds of national organizations and coalitions. Non-government organizations are responsible for implementing specific school health components, such as a school nurses, health teachers, PE teachers, school social workers, counselors, and psychologists. These groups focus on only a few or one aspects of school health. Most of the organizations demonstrate their support by creating position statements, policies or resolutions that place on record the organizations commitment to CSHP or specific aspects of school health. Federal government focus on many areas of a CSHP including, program funding, and development of regulations and guidelines. The federal government helps schools to prevent violence, provide nutritious school lunches, develop health education guidelines, provide physical and mental health services, and implement safety standards. The federal government can do this by helping the schools out with funding and setting guidelines. Two concerns around this are that federal mandates funding that interfere with policy and program funding, and drive to reduce the federal budget deficit. They are worried about increased flexibility, therefore allowing the programs to be more client-focused rather then program-focused. Establishing a sustained and broad-based commitment to successful implementation of a CSHP will require that staff and members of national organizations integrate action on behalf of these programs within their organizational activities and goals.
I feel the same way about this chapter as I did the previous one about the state organizations. There is still a lot that I do not understand about it, but I realize its importance on a CSHP. Everything about a CSHP starts at the top where the guidelines, broad goals, and funding is set by national agencies. From what I have learned so far, it is important for a coordinator to know what’s going on at the state and national level. Though I feel it may be easy for a coordinator to work in their own world and forget about the powers above them, there are many opportunities that can arise for their program if they stay updated with the state and national organizations.