Highmark Healthy High 5 partners with schools and community leaders to tackle bullying HARRISBURG (Oct. 15, 2008)
Experts discuss the positive impact of bullying prevention programs in Pennsylvania
The Highmark Foundation joined with Pennsylvania's Secretary of Education Gerald Zahorchak and experts on children's issues today to discuss the progress of bullying prevention programs in Pennsylvania.
Since 2006, Highmark Healthy High 5, a five-year, $100 million children's health promotion initiative of the Highmark Foundation, has awarded more than $5.1 million to expand and enhance bullying prevention programs at 136 schools across Pennsylvania.
Bullying has become a national problem with a strong impact close to home. Nearly 30 percent of youth in the United States are estimated to be involved in bullying, either as a bully, a target of bullying or both. As a result, more than 160,000 students miss school every day because of a fear of being bullied.
"The Highmark Healthy High 5 initiative is leading the way in providing schools in our state with the funding, support and training to comply with an amendment to the school code that requires all Pennsylvania public school districts to adopt a bullying prevention policy by Jan. 1 of next year," said Zahorchak.
"Whether it's a harsh word, a hurtful action or exclusion from a group, thousands of children and teens are affected by bullying each day," said Yvonne Cook, president of the Highmark Foundation. "Highmark Healthy High 5 recognizes that schools have a unique opportunity to help tackle this issue. We have developed partnerships with community organizations that provide evidence-based bullying prevention programs, and we are working to give more schools an opportunity to access them."
Highmark Healthy High 5 HALT! - A Bullying Prevention Program is designed to build on and advance the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, a comprehensive, school-wide program that focuses on reducing and preventing bullying problems among school children and improving peer relations. Schools are invited to participate in the program at no cost. The program is entirely funded by Highmark Healthy High 5 and administered by the Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention at Windber Research Institute. There are currently 73 schools in 20 Pennsylvania counties participating in the HALT! program.
Highmark Healthy High 5 also supports PA CARES (Creating an Atmosphere of Respect and Environment for Success), a bullying prevention program implemented by the Center for Safe Schools. Schools that are selected to adopt PA CARES receive a $7,500 grant and ongoing training and technical assistance to implement the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. The PA CARES program is being implemented at 42 Pennsylvania schools.
In addition to promoting school-based bullying prevention programs, Highmark Healthy High 5 has also convened a panel of experts on the issue of bullying to continue the development of a statewide bullying prevention strategy to be driven by Highmark Healthy High 5.
Members of the panel include:
Lynn Cromley, director, Center for Safe Schools
Marci Feldman Hertz, M.S., health scientist, Division of Adolescent and School Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Susan Limber, Ph.D., M.L.S., associate director, Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life; associate professor of psychology, Clemson University
Matthew Masiello, M.D., M.PH., director, Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Windber Research Institute
Dan Olweus, Ph.D., affiliated with the Research Center for Health promotion (HEMIL) at the University of Bergen in Norway and creator of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program
Diana Schroeder, R.N., M.S.N., director, Bullying Prevention Initiatives, Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Windber Research Institute
Gerald Zahorchak, D.Ed., secretary of education, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
For more information on Highmark Healthy High 5 and its bullying prevention programs, visit www.highmarkhealthyhigh5.org.
