New Mexico Kids the Focus of Annual Conference
The New Mexico Department of Health’s 18th annual Head-to-Toe Conference kicks off at the Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town this week (April 30th – May 1st) from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The conference is the state’s premiere event for school health professionals, and welcomes everyone from school nurses to guidance counselors – all working to improve student health and academic success.
This year’s conference includes a community presentation by three youth, two parents, a health education teacher, a staff wellness coordinator and a school nurse. They will each have the opportunity to describe the impact school health has on children’s lives. That’s expected to begin around 8:00 a.m. April 30th.
Following that presentation, Department of Health Cabinet Secretary Retta Ward, MPH will deliver opening remarks at the conference, which attracts more than 600 people.
“Attendees are on the front lines of public health,” said Secretary Ward. “Working in our schools, they’re often the first ones to identify any health-related situation that can put a student or the school community at-risk.”
Six youth groups will be delivering workshops over the two day conference, ranging from youth suicide prevention, standing for kindness, improving communication in health settings and strategies to successfully engage youth in local community health and wellness campaigns.
The New Mexico Department of Health maintains oversight over state school nurses through the Office of School and Adolescent Health. The number of nurses and mental health counselors in our schools makes Head-to-Toe one of the largest conferences hosted by the Department of Health every year.
The Department of Health sponsors the Head-to-Toe Conference annually in partnership with several agencies and organizations with the conference produced by Kesselman-Jones, Inc.
You’ll find much more information about this on the Head-to-Toe Conference website.
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