Health care learning event
NYSUT is marking the 10th anniversary of its annual Health Care Professionals Forum with a professional development program Friday and Saturday, March 30 and 31 in Albany. Professional health care networking groups will meet on Friday evening; Saturday is devoted to workshops.
Topics include using electronic health records, emerging infectious diseases, personal safety practices in community nursing, how to get politically involved, resources to deal with compassion fatigue, drug abuse trends, working with bullies and victims, and understanding development when working with teens. Some sessions offer contact hour credits.
For more information, go to www.nysut.org. The deadline to register is March 9. The conference is open to school and hospital nurses, community-based visiting nurses, psychologists, school counselors and social workers, occupational and physical therapists, speech language pathologists and higher education health care faculty and professionals.
Safe school initiative
Visit www.sshs.samhsa.gov to learn about a comprehensive approach to youth violence prevention. This federal grant-making program is designed to prevent youth violence and substance abuse. The SS/HS Initiative is an unprecedented collaborative grant program supported by three Federal agencies — the U.S. departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Justice.
Since 1999, more than 276 urban, rural, suburban, and tribal school districts — in collaboration with local mental health and juvenile justice providers — have received grants using a single application process. These grantees are implementing comprehensive programs that address: safe school environments; alcohol and other drug prevention activities; behavioral, social, and emotional supports; mental health services; and early childhood social and emotional learning programs.
Save the date
Getting politically active, keeping up on current trends in health care, and learning from experts is all part of the annual health care conference sponsored by the American Federation of Teachers April 19-22 in Washington, D.C. For more information on the AFT Healthcare Professional Issues Conference, call 800-238-1133 ext. 4591, or go to www.aft.org and click on "health care."