Last week, Sen. Chris Johnson (D-Somerville) participated in the kick-off event for a project to reinstate School Health Coordinators (SHCs).

“We must reinstate school health coordinators for the sake of Maine's children,” Johnson said. “Obesity, smoking, and drug abuse are not root causes; they are the consequences of not educating our children to make healthy choices in a world full of unhealthy influences. SHCs are at the heart of the solution.”

The SHCs worked at the school district level to help keep kids healthy and able to learn. They facilitated a team approach to improving school food offerings, educating students about healthy choices, increasing physical activity opportunities, and reducing tobacco use. They also supported superintendents and school boards to strengthen policies on bullying, crisis intervention, and substance abuse.

Thirty-two positions were cut from the Healthy Maine Partnerships by the Department of Health and Human Services as part of last year’s budget cuts. Save the Children, a national foundation dedicated to improving children’s lives, has agreed to fund an effort to get the SHCs back in the schools. The first meeting of this consortium of legislators, educators, and public health professionals was held on March 1.

"It is distressing to see a national model for school health go backwards, not only for Maine children but the country,” said Andrew Hysell, Project Director for the Campaign for Healthy Kids at Save the Children. “People hold up Maine as a leader about what works.”

Representative Richard Farnsworth (D-Portland) House Chair of the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee, also attended the meeting and is very supportive of the effort. 

“Education in schools is about more than book learning,” Farnsworth said. “It is about developing a healthy quality of life and a healthy workforce.” 

Jaki Ellis, who is leading the consortium said, “This is a significant opportunity to restore an effective approach to promoting youth health and reducing barriers to learning. We aim to make it available more broadly to school systems across Maine.”

The consortium will develop a plan this spring and explore funding for positions in the next school year.

For more information, call Johnson’s office at 207-287-1515 or Jaki Ellis at 207-798-1593.

Sen. Johnson represents Senate District 20, the Mid-Coast Region. In the Maine Legislature, Sen. Johnson chairs the Marine Resources Committee and serves on the Education and Government Oversight Committees.