Completion requirements
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Navigating this LSP Component
Before developing the Program Plan of the LSP, districts must assess the health needs of the local student population. This assessment should identify the health needs of children and youth in the local community. Use the assessment to determine if and how well current services are meeting those needs. Understanding the gaps in service provision allows the district to set priorities when determining which health services to offer with reimbursement dollars.
Although districts are allowed a small measure of flexibility in developing a program plan, the statute requires that the plan be developed with comprehensive input from the local community. To this end, districts must demonstrate the collection and use of input from community members when determining which health services to include in the LSP. The selection of services will not be made based on limitations in a district’s general fund but on the health needs identified and prioritized by the community members. A BOCES must demonstrate the collection and use of input from member district communities.
A. Community Health Needs Assessments
Use the results from the community health needs assessment to provide comprehensive answers for the following questions:
1. Briefly describe how you determined the health needs in your community (resources used, statistical information, key informants, etc.):
Additional Guidance: Consider detailing the methodology of the needs assessment. Mention the individuals or groups who spearheaded the assessment, the data sources consulted, and any significant contributors who offered insights on local health challenges.
2. Describe what types of local health needs were identified in this process:
Additional Guidance: Highlight the specific health challenges or requirements of students in your community that emerged from the assessment.
3. How did you gather input from community members about the health needs priorities in your district? (through meetings, surveys, phone calls, etc.):
Additional Guidance: Specify the selection criteria for community participants and outline the methods employed to gather their feedback. This could include the number and type of meetings held, online surveys, telephonic conversations, and so on.
4. Please list the prioritized health needs below:
Additional Guidance: Enumerate the health needs that were prioritized during this process. Ensure that these needs align with the health services you plan to offer using the reimbursement funds.
5. How did you incorporate community input into your decision-making process and the development of funding priorities
Additional Guidance: Describe the approach taken to integrate community feedback into decisions about which health services to prioritize for funding.
Note: Every local community is unique, which means that answers to these questions will also be unique to the local community. For an example of what this could look like, view your current CDE reviewed LSP or contact another LEA participating in the School Health Services Program to view theirs.
B. Uninsured/Underinsured Health Needs Assessment
1. Describe the population considered uninsured or underinsured for purposes of the health needs assessment and how they were identified:
Additional Guidance: Underinsured is defined in the statute as “a person who has some health insurance, but whose insurance does not adequately cover the types of health services for which a school district may receive federal matching funds under this section” 26-4- 531 (1) (d), C.R.S. Elaborate on the characteristics of the uninsured and underinsured student populations in your district and the methods used to identify them.
2. Describe how you determined what health services are needed by uninsured and underinsured students in your community? (What resources were used, statistical information, key informants, etc.):
Additional Guidance: Detail the approach and methodology used for the targeted needs assessment focusing on uninsured and underinsured students. Mention the main contributors, data sources, and any significant informants who shed light on the health needs of these populations.
3. Describe the types of health services needed by the uninsured and underinsured students as identified by the needs assessment process:
Additional Guidance: Highlight the specific health requirements or challenges faced by uninsured and underinsured students as revealed by the assessment process.
C. Community Participation
In the planning process for the Local Services Plan (LSP), community involvement is not only required, it also plays a pivotal role in creating a great LSP. The "Community Participation" section, Part II-C, requests that LEAs document the community participants who contributed to the planning. It's essential to distinguish district employees from other participants, which can be done by marking "Y" under the designated "Dist Emp?" column. For comprehensive feedback, if districts have utilized surveys and amassed responses from numerous community members, they can opt to attach a consolidated list of these names to the LSP, rather than inputting each name individually. This approach underscores the value of community feedback and ensures transparency in the planning process.