regional alliance for healthy schools “I never had a program like this when I was in school” is a frequent phrase heard by the staff of the Regional Alliance for Healthy Schools (RAHS). The program—which is funded primarily by the University of Michigan Health System, U-M School of Nursing, and the Michigan Department of Education—includes three school-based health centers. The centers, at Scarlett Middle School and Stone High School in Ann Arbor and East Middle School in Ypsilanti, are staffed by U-M physicians, nurse practitioners, social workers, registered nurses, and medical assistants. Services provided at these centers aren’t limited only to students attending these schools: The program provides outreach services to four area elementary schools. In addition, siblings and children of students are able to take advantage of RAHS services. MAKING A DIFFERENCE Esther Yoon, M.D., Research Fellow, Division of General Pediatrics, credits the success of RAHS to the well-coordinated effort of everyone involved as well as the team’s commitment to continuously improve the services they provide. Jennifer Salerno, R.N., M.S., C.P.N.P., Coordinator and Nurse Practitioner for RAHS, agrees. “The staff are very passionate about what they do,” she says. The program wouldn’t be possible without the support of the University of Michigan Health System, which has provided enormous support both operationally and financially to the program since its inception in 1996. “They are committed to the health and well-being of our youth,” Salerno says. The health centers provide an important source of training for house officers, nursing students, and social work students. RAHS is part of a community pediatrics rotation for U-M second- and third-year pediatric residents. Residents help in a variety of ways, including performing physical exams and risk assessments that cover topics like smoking, drugs, sexual activity, and screening for depression. Yoon says, “It is surprising and at the same time saddening to learn of the complex multi-layered issues confronting many of the students. Someone might come in for a stomachache, but more than the stomachache, they want to discuss other issues that may be more important.” A KID-CENTRIC ATTITUDE
The schools are very appreciative. Bill Harris, principal of Scarlett Middle School, says RAHS “has had a tremendous impact at Scarlett by helping to meet our students’ basic needs—and often their families’ too. They have become an integral part of the school to the point where our staff and students have become dependent on them for help dealing with the variety of issues students bring to school. It is hard to imagine what we’d do if they were not part of the Scarlett Community.”  
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One of the unique attributes of the program, when compared with other school-based health centers throughout the state, is the high rate of success and page after page of statistics that show how the program is meeting its goals and making a difference in the lives of the students.
The attitude of the staff is central to the program’s mission. “All of our staff love kids,” Salerno says. “You can’t learn that. It is so important. If kids don’t feel like you’re a safe person or someone they feel comfortable talking with, then the program wouldn’t succeed.”
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