December 7, 2009
10,000+ students from 40 public schools in 16 school districts to have access to the leading online health curriculum
NASHVILLE, TN (December 7, 2009) ' Bozeman Deaconess Hospital, in partnership
with HealthTeacher, announced today that teachers in Gallatin County, Montana will
have access to HealthTeacher's comprehensive K-12 on-line health education curriculum
with the goal of improving the health literacy of students in participating schools.
The partnership with HealthTeacher supports Bozeman Deaconess Hospital's mission to
improve the health and quality of life of the members of their community by promoting
the health literacy of nearly 10,000 local students. Bozeman Deaconess Hospital is
underwriting the HealthTeacher curriculum and teacher training for participating schools
for five years as part of its efforts to improve the health of children and teens in Gallatin
County.
"We are pleased to partner with our community's school districts to offer this educational
program," said John Nordwick, CEO and President of Bozeman Deaconess Hospital.
"HealthTeacher allows us to support our mission to improve community health and
quality of life by helping children make healthy lifestyle choices that will serve them well
throughout their lives. We are excited about this program and believe it will be a great
benefit to families in the Gallatin Valley."
Many high-risk health behaviors often are established during childhood and adolescence,
which extend into adulthood. These behaviors can be addressed and prevented with
proper education. According to the Centers for Disease Control, Montana students
are at a equal or greater risk of current smokeless tobacco use, episodic heavy drinking
considering and attempting suicide, as well as lifetime inhalant use when compared to
U.S. students.
"At Bozeman Public Schools we believe it is our responsibility to provide students with
instruction that enables them to value and engage in healthy lifestyles. Working with
Bozeman Deaconess Health Services and HealthTeacher we can enter this cooperative
effort on behalf of our students to provide additional resources to our teachers in more
authentic teaching methods on health topics aligned with the National Health Standards"
says Dr. Kirk J. Miller, Superintendent, Bozeman School District #7. "This cooperation
benefits our students, our teachers, meets an intended outcome of our District Long
Range Strategic Plan on community engagement, and provides significant community
benefit to improve community health and quality of life. That's win-win-win-win in our
book and we appreciate that kind of relationship!"
According to a 2009 report by Trust for America's Youth and the Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation, F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies Are Failing in America 2009, 25.6% of
children ages 10 ' 17 in Montana are considered overweight or obese. The study finds
that in 30 states, the childhood obesity rate is reaching epidemic proportions with 30% of
children being overweight.
Other study's show that it's not just the prevalence of childhood obesity in Montana that
should be a concern:
- 46.5% of children through age 17 have had at least one drink of alcohol on at least 1 day during the last 30 days before the survey
- 14.2% of children through age 17 rarely or never wear a seat belt.
- 82.9% of children through age 17 ate fruits and vegetables less than five times
per day (CDC, Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2007)
"Bozeman Deaconess Hospital understands that health literacy is a 21st century skill,
affecting all aspects of children's development and future success" says Scott McQuigg,
Chief Executive Officer of HealthTeacher. "Bozeman Deaconess Hospital is supporting
teachers by underwriting the health education resources they need to make a positive
lifetime impact on the health and wellness of children in Bozeman."
HealthTeacher curriculum covers 10 key topic areas designed to help students
develop knowledge and skills needed pursue healthy lifestyles throughout their lives.
Designed for K-12 teachers and students, HealthTeacher's curriculum and resources are
provided to: Amsterdam #75 School District, Anderson #41 School District, Belgrade
#44 School District, Bozeman #07 School District, Cottonwood #22 School District,
Gallatin Gateway #35 School District, Lamotte #43 School District, Malmborg #47
School District, Manhattan #03 School District, Monforton #27 School District, Ophir
#72 School District, Pass Creek #25 School District, Springhill #20 School District,
Three Forks #24 School District, West Yellowstone #69 School District and Willow
Creek #15 School District. The HealthTeacher curriculum is aligned with the National
Health Education Standards and Montana Standards for Health Enhancement that
requires instruction in five key areas:
- Health
- Nutrition
- Mental health
- Injury prevention
- Tobacco, alcohol and drug use
About Bozeman Deaconess Health Services
Bozeman Deaconess Health Services is a not-for-profit organization responsible for the
operations of Bozeman Deaconess Hospital, Bozeman Deaconess Health Group,
Highland Park Medical Campus and Hillcrest Senior Living, and is governed by a
community board of trustees. As one of the largest employers in Gallatin County (and
currently the largest private employer) Bozeman Deaconess Health Services has over
1100 employees. Bozeman Deaconess Hospital offers comprehensive services designed
to meet the diverse healthcare needs of the communities in the greater Gallatin Valley.
About HealthTeacher
HealthTeacher is a leading provider of online health, wellness and prevention education
resources for kindergarten through 12th grade and is used by more than 20,000 teachers
nationwide. HealthTeacher provides teachers the resources, tools and background
material to educate students about making healthy lifestyle choices through more than
300 lesson plans aligning to the National Health Education Standards. HealthTeacher
helps establish community-based health education collaboratives by developing
partnerships between healthcare organizations, businesses, community leaders and
schools to address the growing issues affecting the health status of children. To learn
Media Contact:
Jennifer Faught
Director, Marketing
800-514-1362
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