A comprehensive health education program to teach children as early as kindergarten about a healthy lifestyle continues to make progress.

On Thursday during a Health Care Action Team meeting, Christine Schuyler, county Social Services commissioner and public health director, gave an update on the program known as ”Innov8, Collabor8 and Educ8.” The program, also known as ICE8, is meant to educate children from a young age about social ills like drugs, obesity and unemployment. The program is modeled on a comprehensive health education program the state of Michigan and the Center for Disease Control have been using.

The eight components of the coordinated school health program, according to the Center for Disease Control’s website, include: health education; physical education; health services; nutrition services; counseling, psychological and social services; a healthy and safe school environment; health promotion for staff; and family/community involvement.

Schuyler said she has been communicating with school district superintendents about the ICE8 program. She said they have been working on how to find funding to initiate the program. She added there is state aid approved for such health education programs. So far, only Jamestown Public Schools have a comprehensive health education program for children, but the program is only kindergarten through 5th grade.

”No one has it for (grades) 7-12,” Schuyler said.

In her discussions with district superintendents, Schuyler said they all are in agreement with the need for a coordinated school health education program. However, she said school boards and parents will also need to be on board for the new program to succeed. The health education program is meant to make children more aware of healthier life choices and to be knowledgeable about their own welfare.

”It really is a culture change,” Schuyler said about the program.

She added the program is taking a while to start, but only because county and school officials want the program to work from the very start. Also, she said it will take a long time before people can see results from the program.

”It may need a generation before seeing change,” said Dr. Lillian Ney, HCAT chairwoman, about the ICE8 program.

In other business, Debbie Piotrowski, Jamestown Public Schools school-based health center nurse practitioner, and Leanna Luka-Conley, The Resource Center care coordination and behavioral services director, gave a presentation about the school-based health center at Jamestown High School. Piotrowski said Jamestown is the only school district in the county with a health center. She said there are 231 centers in the state, with New York being the state with the most in the nation.

The health center is a joint effort between The Resource Center and Jamestown Public Schools. The center provides comprehensive health care services to students enrolled at the school. For children who already have a health care provider, the staff works with the provider in caring for the child. For children without a primary health care provider, the staff may become the child’s primary source of health care.

Piotrowski said any student in the district can be covered, even if they don’t have health insurance. District officials need a signed consent form from parents to provide health care. She said the center opened in 2005 and they care for 20-25 students a day. Services provided include hearing, tuberculosis and nutritional screening. The center’s staff provides health education to students. Piotrowski said it is mostly preventional information they provide students. The center also has a dental hygienist that works with children about dental care.

Piotrowski said 40 percent of the students are being treated for mental health care. Luka-Conley said they have submitted an application to the state for the health center to be a satellite mental health clinic. She said they will work with families to get the students the right care. The clinic will also be year-round.

”The goal is to keep the kids in school, their grades up and to get them the evaluations they need,” she said.