Hospital joins nonprofit to enhance school programs

LONGMONT — Longmont United Hospital is joining forces with Healthy Learning Paths to take health education into schools that are interested in expanding their wellness programs and enhancing their science curriculum.

“We’ve identified childhood obesity as a community health need,” said Peter Powers, director of business development at the hospital. “Our team reviewed a variety of programs that work with children and families to address that need, and we agreed that Healthy Learning Paths was by far the best program to encourage children to make healthy choices.

“This is an evidence-and science-based curriculum that utilizes medical professionals to present wellness strategies in schools with a focus on the early childhood years. Research shows that the early years is the best time to impact children.”

SPONSORED CONTENT

How Platte River Power Authority is accelerating its energy transition

Platte River Power Authority, the community-owned wholesale electricity provider for Northern Colorado, has a history of bold initiatives.

Founded in 2005, Westminster-based Healthy Learning Paths is a nonprofit organization that offers a comprehensive school wellness program based in science and child development. Last semester, the “Be Well, Learn Well” curriculum was taught to 1,400 students in 70 classrooms, 24 schools and six school districts in the Boulder-Denver area. Through working with Longmont United Hospital, Healthy Learning Paths hopes to put the final changes on a program that can be reproduced in any hospital in any community.

“We have plenty of research that shows how to prevent diseases; now it’s time to venture into classrooms where we can empower children with skills for health and happiness,” said Dr. Chris Marchioni, a family-practice physician and founder of Healthy Learning Paths. “With the help of Longmont United Hospital, we are taking the best medical practices out of the doctor’s office and putting them in the classroom and community where we can make the biggest impact in health and learning success for children.”

Longmont United Hospital has recruited several primary-care physicians, pediatric nurses, nurse practitioners and other clinical staff to be trained to present the Healthy Learning Paths curriculum. Training began this week. Once they are trained, the hospital will offer these services to schools that are interested in expanding their health and science curriculum.

Teachers have to want the program in their schools, Marchioni said. A Healthy Learning Paths team will visit the classrooms once a month to educate the children. The program will focus on nutrition, exercise, dental care, mental well-being, social and emotional development, and relaxation.

One example from the curriculum is a nutrition lesson on fats using a character called “Ava the Avocado.” Using an illustrated book about a girl who dreamed she was an avocado and aids that show the heart, brain and muscles, children are taught the difference between good fats and bad fats. At the end of the class, students make guacamole from scratch.

Team members also will meet with parents to engage them in the program. “These tools enable parents to effectively coach children as they navigate obstacles to achievement and good health,” Marchiono said.

Powers said there is a waiting list of schools that want the program. Priority will be given to schools with the highest percentage of students receiving free and reduced-cost lunches.

The initial cost to train participants, which includes physicians, nurses, other clinical staff and retired teachers, will be from $7,000 to $10,000, Powers said. The program is being funded by the hospital; there is no direct cost to participants. The budget for 2014 has not been set.

The Longmont United program is an outgrowth of the federal Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, which requires nonprofit hospitals to conduct community-needs assessments and to demonstrate how their health-care programs are addressing those needs. The tax-exempt status of nonprofit hospitals is on the line.

Longmont United’s assessment found that a primary need is to combat the growing rate of childhood obesity. The Latino population is particularly vulnerable to this epidemic, the assessment found.

The hospital already had embarked on this strategy by becoming the fiscal agent and sponsor of LiveWell Longmont. LiveWell Longmont is a division of LiveWell Colorado, a nonprofit movement that focuses on policy, environmental and lifestyle changes that remove barriers and increase access to healthy behaviors. Working in partnership with obesity-prevention initiatives across Colorado, LiveWell aims to provide every citizen with access to healthy foods and opportunities for physical activity in the places they live, work, learn and play.

LiveWell Longmont, which also focuses on early childhood education in the school systems, made it easier for youths to walk or bike to school by placing a program coordinator in the schools, installing bike racks and creating interactive maps for parents and children to access these routes.

LiveWell also funded a school wellness coordinator as a permanent position within the St. Vrain Valley School District, which covers the majority of Longmont United Hospital’s service area. The wellness coordinator focuses on improving the physical education program to help increase the levels of physical activity and to align with stricter physical education standards. The wellness coordinator also assists the district to increase the number of children who consume the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables each day.