OSBHA

The American School Health Association (ASHA), a national multidisciplinary association dedicated to improving the health of PreK-12 students, is pleased to announce a partnership with the Oregon School-Based Health Alliance (OSBHA) to support ASHA’s 88th annual school health conference being held in Portland, OR on October 9-11, 2014.

Awareness Day, held on February 26 at the Oregon state capitol, gathered more than 60 advocates to highlight the impact of school-based health services on student health and academic achievement. The event provided an opportunity for young people to visit the capitol, meet their legislators, and link their personal stories to the importance of school-based health centers (SBHCs) in communities around the state.

Statewide Youth Advisory Council (SYAC) members offered their personal stories about how SBHCs have impacted their experiences accessing and using school-based health services. Tobias Rubel, SYAC communications director recognized that the experience of sitting down to speak with a legislator could be stressful for some students. His advice was for students to focus on the power of their story. "You should go in there and tell them about how school-based health care benefits you, the student."