OAKLAND, Calif., Dec. 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Kaiser
Permanente, the nation's largest nonprofit, integrated health
system, is partnering with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation
and Discovery Education to address trauma and stress and promote
social and emotional wellness at 25,000 schools nationwide. The
Resilience in School Environments, or RISE, initiative will provide
teachers with the skills and resources they need to support student
mental health and to better tend to their own emotional needs.
A 2019 survey from the Pew Research Center found that 70% of
teens say anxiety and depression is a "major problem" among their
peers. And according to Gallup's State of America's Schools Report,
nearly half of K-12 teachers report high daily stress during the
school year, matching levels reported by nurses, physicians and
others from other highly demanding professions. RISE will
address these issues by providing a comprehensive set of resources,
at no cost, for school staff, teachers and districts to address
some of the underlying factors of stress in schools and develop
strategies and practices that foster more positive school
environments.
"Positive role models such as teachers can have a lasting
positive impact on a child's development, health and well-being,"
said Kaiser Permanente Chairman and CEO Gregory A. Adams. "We are proud to work with the
Alliance for a Healthier Generation and Discovery Education to
cultivate school environments that will help millions of students,
teachers and staff in our communities across America to instill
greater resiliency and truly thrive."
Spokane Public Schools principal Rachel
Sherwood immediately recognized the possibilities of RISE
for her school, Bemiss Elementary, where teachers regularly work
with students influenced by trauma. For Sherwood, equipping
teachers with strategies that help them meet the social and
emotional needs of the whole child was appealing.
"Teaching is a tough job. The pressure to make sure all of our
students are learning and learning how to be safe can create a
constant state of feeling as an educator that you are not doing
enough," Sherwood said. "That is exhausting. As a school system, we
need these kinds of supports to surround our teachers and families
for everyone's long-term success and well-being."
Through the partnership with Healthier Generation and Discovery
Education, Kaiser Permanente is launching resources that will allow
RISE to expand quickly across the U.S. By the year 2023, the
initiative will reach at least 25,000 schools to cultivate the
practices that improve safe and supportive learning environments
with a unique focus on school employee health and wellness. The
initiative, part of Kaiser Permanente's Thriving Schools, includes
a focus on addressing adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs,
defined as traumatic events that occur before the age of 18.
RISE will be offered through a variety of virtual and in-person
resources. On-site and virtual programming will be delivered in
partnership with Healthier Generation, a leader in empowering
children to develop lifelong healthy habits by ensuring the
environments that surround them provide and promote good health.
Additional virtual content will be offered in partnership with
Discovery Education, the global leader in standards-based digital
curriculum resources reaching approximately half of U.S. K-12
classrooms. The RISE virtual resources from both Healthier
Generation and Discovery Education will include virtual learning
curricula to drive policy and practice changes in school
communities.
School and district engagement with RISE are guided by the RISE
Index, an evidence-informed, digital tool that helps them assess,
prioritize, and plan key activities that promote the social and
emotional health of staff and students. The index provides best
practices and guides schools and districts in making meaningful
policy and practice changes on their campuses.
"Since 2013, Kaiser Permanente has been our valued partner in
helping thousands of schools nationwide improve students' health
and learning," said Kathy Higgins,
CEO of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. "This expansion of
our work through RISE will further empower schools to create
environments that support the whole child — meeting their physical,
social and emotional needs."
"Social and emotional wellness is of paramount importance in
educators' efforts to maximize learning and prepare students for
successful futures," said Lori McFarling, Discovery
Education's president of corporate partnerships. "We are proud
to partner with Kaiser Permanente in their efforts to empower
educators with dynamic digital resources to support their
critical work to foster social and emotional learning resiliency
both inside and outside the classroom."
The RISE expansion comes amid growing understanding of the
long-term health effects of trauma and stress. Kaiser Permanente
was one of the first organizations to recognize the link between
trauma and health through the landmark ACEs study it conducted with
the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study,
released in 1998, illuminated the connection between childhood
trauma and stress with health and well-being later in life. In
October, Kaiser Permanente announced that it will allocate
$2.75 million in new research led by
Kaiser Permanente research scientists to help prevent and mitigate
the health effects of ACEs.
About the Alliance for a Healthier Generation
The
Alliance for a Healthier Generation believes every child deserves a
healthy future. For over a decade, Healthier Generation has
empowered kids to develop lifelong healthy habits by ensuring the
environments that surround them support their physical, social and
emotional health. Driven by our passion that all young people
deserve a chance to live healthier lives, our work, in total, has
reached more than 29 million kids across the country. To learn more
and help make a difference, visit HealthierGeneration.org and join
us on Facebook and Twitter.
About Discovery Education
Discovery Education is the
global leader in standards-aligned digital curriculum resources,
engaging content, and professional learning for K-12 classrooms.
Through its award-winning digital textbooks, multimedia resources,
and the largest professional learning network of its kind,
Discovery Education is transforming teaching and learning, creating
immersive STEM experiences, and improving academic achievement
around the globe. Discovery Education's services are available in
approximately half of U.S. classrooms and primary schools in the
U.K. and reach over 5 million educators and 51 million students in
more than 90 countries. Inspired by the global media company
Discovery, Inc., Discovery Education partners with districts,
states, and like-minded organizations to empower teachers with
customized solutions that support the success of all learners.
Explore the future of education at DiscoveryEducation.com. Stay
connected with Discovery Education on Facebook, Twitter and
Instagram @DiscoveryEd.
About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is committed
to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as
one of America's leading health care providers and not-for-profit
health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to
provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to
improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We
currently serve 12.2 million members in eight states and the
District of Columbia. Care for
members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by
their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists and
team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are
empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and
tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art
care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser
Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research,
health education and the support of community health.
https://about.kaiserpermanente.org/
For more information, contact:
Vincent Staupe, vincent.p.staupe@kp.org,
510-267-7364
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SOURCE Kaiser Permanente