School Staff
We offer various services to schools to promote health and wellness.
Health Promoting Schools
The Health Promoting School (HPS) Coordinator Initiative provides partial funding to 16 HPS Coordinator positions at the School District level. Through this initiative, we aim to promote and support ‘Health Promoting Schools’ settings within School Districts as defined by the widely recognized pillars of Comprehensive School Health.
Health Promoting Schools Coordinators
Health Promoting Schools Newsletters
To sign up for the Health Promoting Schools Newsletter contact: HealthySchools@interiorhealth.ca.
2023
Teaching Toolkits
To assist with resources for classroom teaching on health topics, the following Healthy Schools Teaching Toolkits are available below or by contacting your School Health nurse.
Health Promotion Resources
A wide variety of health promotion resources can be found below.
Health in Schools
- Public Health Services and Resource Information for School Staff
- Healthy Schools Assessment Tool - GOT HEALTH
- Guidelines for managing head lice at school
- Kelty Mental Health- School Professionals
- Teaching Children about Needle Safety
- Jessie's Legacy - Eating Disorders Prevention and Awareness
- Condom Supply Order Form for Schools
- Condom Distribution Best Practices
- Condom Poster
- Schools and Menstrual Supplies
- BC Health Files Back to School
- Healthy Schools BC
- School Physical Activity/Physical Literacy
- The Joint Consortium for School Health
School Nurses
School nurses provide support to schools by preventing diseases and injuries, and helping to support those with health concerns.
Public Health nurses (PHNs) work in partnership with school staff, students, parents and community to promote health and prevent disease and injury for school-aged children and youth.
View a listing of public health nurses and the schools they cover
Examples of activities include:
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Collaboration and consultation on Health Promoting School Initiatives
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Immunization
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Infectious disease follow-up
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Consultation on health education curriculum and activities
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Consultation for students with special health needs
Nursing support services for parents and caregivers of people with special needs
Nursing Support Services (NSS) helps parents and caregivers of children with special health care needs to lead active, healthy lives in their communities. NSS Coordinators facilitate safe, consistent care and appropriate health support in a variety of locations including homes, schools and childcare settings.
View Nursing Support Nurses contact information
Services include, but aren’t limited to:
- Providing information and consultation about health issues relating to the special need
- Planning of community care
- Training of alternate caregivers
- At Home Program assessment which provides medical and respite benefits to those families who qualify
This program is available to children and youth (birth to 19 years) living in B.C. who require specialized nursing services. Anyone can make a referral to NSS. Contact the Nursing Support Services Coordinator through your local health centre. More information is available from the BC Children’s Hospital Nursing Support Services Program.
School nurse contact information
- Nursing support service nurses
- Public health nurses:
- SD 5 South East Kootenay
- SD 6 Rocky Mountain
- SD 8 Kootenay Lake
- SD 10 Arrow Lakes
- SD 19 Revelstoke
- SD 20 Kootenay Columbia
- SD 22 Vernon
- SD 23 Central Okanagan
- SD 27 Cariboo Chilcotin
- SD 51 Boundary
- SD 53 Okanagan Similkameen
- SD 58 Nicola Similkameen
- SD 67 Okanagan Skaha
- SD 73 Kamloops Thompson
- SD 74 Gold Trail
- SD 83 North Okanagan Shuswap
- SD 93 Conseil Scolaire Francophone
Harm reduction
Our Youth Harm Reduction toolkit was designed to assist Interior Health staff, community partners, schools and others who work with youth to find credible harm reduction information, resources and tools to support them in the important work they do.
Tobacco & Vaping in Schools
Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death and illness, and 85% of smokers today started before they were age 18. All other recreational addictive drugs are banned for use during school hours, except tobacco. Vaping has also become a significant concern for schools.
All public and private kindergarten to Grade 12 schools in B.C. are tobacco and vape-free under the Tobacco and Vapour Products Control Act and Regulation. This ban extends to all school property 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, regardless of whether or not school is in session. The ban also includes vehicles, parking lots, sports fields, driveways, courtyards and private vehicles parked on school property.
Resources
Our Toolkit – Vaping School Properties provides resources to school district staff and others who are working to address the use of vapour products among youth.
School compliance information is available to advise both public and private schools of their responsibilities for showing reasonable care and diligence with the Tobacco and Vapour Products Control Act.
The following resources are also available:
- Tobacco & Vaping Resources for Schools
- Vaping and Youth Factsheet
- Vapour Products In and On School Property
- About Vaping (Health Canada)
- Vaping and Lung Health (British Columbia Lung Association)
- Respecting Tobacco (First Nations Health Authority)
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