Friday, April 25, 2014

ALAMEDA COUNTY EXPERTS PRESENT AT NATIONAL CONFERENCE on Improving Equity, Health and Education Outcomes through Community Schools


Eight staff from the Center for Healthy Schools and Communities will present at the Coalition for Community Schools’ bi-annual national conference in Cincinnati, Ohio along with three of its community based organization partners. Conference attendance is expected to be 1,500 and representative of the entire county.

The Center for Healthy Schools and Communities is regarded as a national leader and model for innova-tion in providing and scaling critically needed access to health services for youth in low opportunity communities.

“It is important for us to share not only the innovations in school health services that are working in Alameda County, but also the lessons learned over our 17-year history. We are getting mainstream traction on the inextricable link between health and education. By addressing these topics through an equity lens, we as public sector vanguards have an opportunity to close the opportunity gap through community schools”, said Tracey Schear, Director of the Center for Healthy Schools and Communities.

Topics will include Alameda County’s implementation of the Affordable Care Act through eligibility and enrollment into public health care benefits at community schools—programs that are receiving national attention. The Center will also present with its partners from the Latino Men and Boys male mentorship program, demonstrating its long-time support of equity based Boys and Men of Color initiatives. They will also present on the role of public sector leadership in linking health and education to achieve equity, along with a joint presentation with the Oakland Unified School District in a plenary session with public sector leaders from across the country.


Connecting Kids & Families to Health Coverage in the Oakland Unified School District


The Center for Healthy Schools and Communities is partnering with Oakland Unified School District (OUSD), Alameda County Social Services Agency, East Bay Agency for Children, and East Bay Innovations to support Oakland families to enroll in health insurance and other health care services and supports. Check out the coverage our Central Family Resource Center at OUSD’s Lakeview campus received during the final week of open enrollment. We supported more than 100 families to connect with information and application assistance about Medi-Cal, Covered California plans, HealthPAC, and CalFresh.


Our work in Oakland was also referenced at the end of this story by The California Report.

Antonia Briones (left), an Alameda County Social Services Agency eligibility
technician, helps Gabino Pablo (right) with Covered California enrollment
 as the deadline approaches. (Rachel Dornhelm/KQED)