South Shore Hospital’s
Youth Health Connection

Local Schools and Educators

The school environment is where children and adolescents face many of the challenges and risks that threaten their current and future health and well-being. School nurses, educators, administrators, and other personnel are the gatekeepers who are often best able to help young people learn to make healthy decisions.

The Youth Health Connection supports local public, parochial, independent, and charter schools in their efforts to bolster the health and well-being of their students. We provide information, consultation, training, resources, and educational presentations to support schools as they develop and implement health-related programming for both students and staff.

We are able to bring high-quality, health-related school staff development programs directly to schools, providing school personnel access to experts and specialists in childhood and adolescence. We also offer programs designed specifically for students, targeting the wide range of issues children face every day. Topics include depression, grieving, dealing with an illness in the family, suicide, healthy eating, exercise, and heart health, as well as living with a pediatric disease like diabetes and asthma.

In addition, our program connects nurses, educators, and staff from different schools across the region to facilitate the sharing of information and experience between schools and across school systems. Schools are able to share the different ways in which they deal with the challenges they all share, such as the best initiatives to address difficult issues or the most effective means to link faculty members with students to ensure that no child slips through the cracks.

Example:

A school recently shared information about its “knitting club,” which was created specifically for those students choosing to eat lunch at the nurse’s office instead of the school cafeteria because of social/peer pressures. The “knitting club” gave these students a much less ostracizing reason for avoiding the lunch crowd.

School Services

Services provided for youth, school faculty and staff, and/or parents

Is Your School Represented?

Public, parochial, independent, and charter schools throughout the South Shore and beyond are invited to join the Youth Health Connection. School nurses, administrators, mental health professionals, and other staff are welcome. To make sure your school is represented or for more information, please contact Kim Noble R.N., B.S., M.B.A., at (781) 794-7415 or kimberly_noble@sshosp.org.