UWs WIND to Host School

Two programs of the Wyoming Institute for Disabilities (WIND) at the University of Wyoming will host a school-based health education miniseries.

The UW ECHO in Student Health and the Wyoming Telehealth Network (WyTN) will present five virtual learning sessions that are designed to explore new ways to promote and improve students’ health. 

The miniseries will provide a foundation in understanding how telehealth and school-based health centers can be used to support school professionals and increase students’ access to care and information. The series will examine a wide variety of approaches, including local, regional and national practices.

With nearly 2,000 centers nationwide, school-based health centers provide an innovative solution to rural health care. As a partnership between school districts and community health organizations, hospitals and/or local health departments, these health centers offer a full range of age-appropriate health care services for rural youth.

“Exploring innovative ideas to improve health outcomes and supporting public health professionals are critical parts of the work we do in the UW ECHO and WyTN programs,” says Canyon Hardesty, director of community education at WIND. “This miniseries will allow a meaningful cross section of public health professionals, administrators, students and others to think deeply about how we can best meet the needs of today’s students to increase overall health in our state.”

UW ECHO sessions are as follows:

-- Wednesday, March 10, 3:45-5 p.m.: “Building School-Based Health Partnerships.” Kip Farnum, director of Student Support Services at Campbell County School District, and Holly Hink, a pediatric nurse practitioner at the Kid Clinic in Gillette, will share how they worked to create Wyoming’s first school-based health center.

-- Wednesday, April 7, 3:45-5 p.m.: “Building a Statewide Approach.” Matt McCullough, associate director of the Utah Telehealth Network, will share how Utah implemented school-based health programs, and he will discuss best practices for integrating programs across Wyoming.

-- Wednesday, April 21, 3:45-5 p.m.: “National Best Practices in Providing Students with Accessibility to Quality Healthcare.” Andrea Shore, vice president of programs at the School-Based Health Alliance in Washington, D.C., will continue the discussion of best practices around providing accessible and quality health care to students.

The WyTN webinar schedule is:

-- Wednesday, April 28, noon-1 p.m.: “Serving Rural Areas in Innovative Ways.” Shore will share her national expertise on school-based supports for students and building strong foundations for innovative solutions.

-- Wednesday, May 26, noon-1 p.m.: “Increasing Broadband and Access for Improved Student Health Outcomes.” McCullough will discuss improving broadband and access issues.

Participants may attend any or all sessions. To learn more about the sessions and to register, go to http://wyomingtelehealth.org/webinars/.

For more information about WIND and its programs, go to www.uwyo.edu/wind.

About UW ECHO Networks

UW ECHO networks provide ongoing support for educators, health care providers and families in a rural state where specialized knowledge is not always locally available. By removing these barriers to specialized knowledge, outcomes for students, patients and families are improved.

About the Wyoming Telehealth Network

The WyTN provides ongoing training and support in telehealth best practices for Wyoming health care professionals, including the process of enrolling providers in the telehealth network, issuing HIPAA-secure Zoom licenses, and providing technical support throughout the process.