Ohio School Based Health Care Association

1. Ohio School Based Health Care Association Engaging partners in a statewide agenda

2. Partnerships Driven Local to State • Where we started: Grassroots-up model of partnerships reflecting the partnerships seen at the local level • In other words, “Who do our centers partner with?” • Drove statewide introductions and education for partnership groups per the OSBHCA Strategic Plan, including: • NASBHC and other state associations • Ohio Association of Community Health Centers (FQHCs) • Ohio Hospital Association • Ohio Children’s Hospital Association • Voices for Ohio’s Children/Covering Kids and Families • Ohio Mental Health Network for School Success • Ohio School Nurses Association

3. Partnerships Driven Local to State • More partnerships: • Ohio Action for Healthy Kids • Community Learning Centers-Local to Cincinnati • Ohio Nurses Association • Ohio Afterschool Network • Ohio Nurses Association • Ohio School Social Workers Association, Counselors, etc. • Dental-huge need • Family and Children’s First Councils-huge need • Ohio PTA-huge need • School people: teachers, administrators, superintendants, education service councils, early learning, etc. • State Department outreach • Researchers/University partner outreach-especially stemming from other partnerships!

4. How OSBHCA Engages Partners • Sometimes it’s a coffee or a lunch for an introductory meeting • Continuous follow up breeds new opportunities • A simple phone call or addition of a new relationship contact to an email list • Other ways to engage: • Joint meetings for advocacy or continuing education • OSBHCA has done 3 in two years, yielding higher results in attendance and overall meeting quality • MOU needed at the beginning so all partners know benefits, responsibilities • Mantra is currently that there isn’t a meeting we typically do without engaging other collaborative partners

5. How OSBHCA Engages Partners • Other ways to engage: • Advocacy efforts: joint statehouse days previously and in future • Staff and membership volunteering on committees/boards/leadership teams of these groups • Promotion of partnership groups news and events • Research: Coordinated School Health effort in Ohio-getting SBHCs to the table • Letters of Support for grants-giving and receiving • Inviting participants to be on OSBHCA Board • It’s all about getting the right people on the bus!

6. Why We Engage: Huge Benefits! • Resources and Rewards: • OSBHCA has contract staff and receives grant funding and other budget consists of CE receipts and small pot of membership dollars • Other groups have paid affiliates or statewide networks/regions, but may lack association structure or general Board leadership • If you can develop a relationship that puts the cause before the people involved-the best partnerships-engaging can become a way of sharing staff and resources to accomplish so much more!

7. Challenges to Statewide Partnerships • Blending of Agendas • Continuous Communication-can be a full-time job • Keeping in-line with the goals of the organization: “How Big do We Make our Tent?” • Keeping the partnerships effective at the local level • If the local partnerships drive the state association, how are state partnerships benefiting individual centers/regions and what is the expectation/communication flowing from state to local? • Volunteer engagement-if a new partner is developed, challenges arise in asking individuals at the local level to get involved as well-what’s the compelling reason they should?