Health eTools for Schools - developed by InnerLink, Inc., is a leading edge program that harnesses technology with best practices to improve student wellness in schools. Health eTools is based on the CDC's Coordinated School Health Program model, a multi-component approach designed to encourage schools, families and communities to work together to improve students' health and their capacity to learn.

Health eTools enables school nurses to electronically input, track and communicate student's health and fitness information through an electronic version of the Pennsylvania Department of Health's required School Health Record for all students. It facilitates efforts to create and implement an effective wellness policy, and greatly eases burdens created by federal and state mandates, including Pennsylvania's Growth Screening Program.

Health eTools for Schools is available to school districts in northeastern and north central Pennsylvania, on a first-come first-served basis through a matching funds subsidy program provided by Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania proudly serves the many businesses and families within its 13-county service area: Bradford, Carbon, Clinton, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Lycoming, Monroe, Pike, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wayne and Wyoming Counties.

Getting Started

All schools in Northeastern Pennsylvania are eligible to access Health eTools for Schools through a subsidy program. Download a brochure.

Subsidy Program

Recognizing the scarcity of resources available to schools to accomplish unfunded mandates such as the growth screening requirement, and a critical need to reduce health risk among children, Blue Cross of Northeaster PA is offering a Subsidy Program that provides matching funds for schools in Bradford, Carbon, Clinton, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Lycoming, Monroe, Pike, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wayne and Wyoming Counties to use Health eTools for Schools at half the cost on a first-come, first-served basis.

To register your interest in receiving the best practice curriculum, wellness planning tools and health record keeping resources available through Health eTools for Schools, please register by filling out the form below.

If you have questions, or would like to receive an online demonstration, call InnerLink toll free at (866) 522-5487, or complete the online form below. An InnerLink representative will respond to your inquiry shortly.

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About Us

Health eTools for Schools is based on extensive investigation, focus group research and review of best practices for quality and practicality. All Health eTools for Schools content and program relating to nutrition and physical education are evidence-based, aligned with Pennsylvania Academic standards and proven through scientific trial to foster improved nutrition and more physical movement.

Health eTools for Schools provides an information gateway to best practices and resources that help school nurses, food service professionals, educators, and administrators to measure, record, and report changes in student health indicators, student health behaviors, and attitudes and in the selection of foods that are sold during the school day.

Health eTools for Schools is highly customized to meet the needs of Pennsylvania schools. The ultimate goal is to provide schools with affordable technology that is consistent statewide and provides the infrastructure to address the health needs of children. Health eTools is unique in combining best-of-breed portal technology with Pennsylvania standards-based content and interactive features that will help school districts meet the long-term endeavor of improving student wellness.

Developed by InnerLink, Inc., Health eTools for Schools is a best practice approach to promoting student wellness and combating childhood obesity. The development of Health eTools for Schools was driven by the Highmark Foundation and has been adopted by Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania, recognizing the scarcity of resources available to schools to accomplish unfunded mandates and seeing a critical need to reduce health risk among children.

Benefits of using Health eTools for Schools

Here are 10 reasons why your district should consider using Health eTools for Schools:

1. Complies with federal and state mandates for wellness policies
2. Supports and streamlines the implementation of wellness strategies
3. Enhances physical education, and incorporates physical activity and nutrition education without increases in instructional time
4. Supports annual growth screenings, plotted on CDC gender-specific growth chart for trend analysis and reporting to parents
5. Integrates with existing Student Management Information Systems to reduce duplicate entry of student health information
6. Complies with federal and state nutrition policies
7. Extends impact of the school nurse as health educator by freeing time now spent on record keeping and other tasks
8. Strengthens the role of nutrition service professionals as nutrition educators/advocates
9. Increases interdisciplinary collaboration and reduces 'silo' among Wellness Teams and Coordinated School Health Council participants
10. Provides dynamic tools for wellness policy creation, implementation resources and communications strategies.

Partners

About Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania

Since 1938, Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania (BCNEPA) has been serving communities throughout northeastern and north central Pennsylvania. Headquartered in Wilkes-Barre, PA, BCNEPA offers a comprehensive portfolio of health insurance products and administrative services to approximately 600,000 individuals. Our mission is to “provide innovative solutions that support more affordable health care, promote personal accountability for health and wellness, and offer superior service and partnership to employers, members, and providers.”

We believe that the health of our community is just as important as the health of our members. Our community support efforts include education, sponsorships, philanthropy, and more, such as:
• Health coverage for special populations is provided through BCNEPA’s participation in state-sponsored programs such as the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and adultBasic, as well as through specially-designed BlueCare products like BlueCare Direct and BlueCare Security 65.
• The Blue Ribbon Foundation of Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania provides grant funding to community nonprofits that deliver innovative, grassroots health and wellness initiatives throughout our 13 counties. The Foundation’s Access to Health Care for the Uninsured and Underinsured program, launched in 2006, helped increase quality health care services for nearly 20,000 underserved individuals in the first year alone.
• BCNEPA proudly partners with the Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation to support aspiring nurses and nurse educators through scholarships and a nurse faculty support program.

For more information on Blue Cross of Northeastern PA, visit www.bcnepa.com

Testimonials

Below are key testimonials from users of Health eTools for Schools Across Pennsylvania

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GREG GRAY, PE Teacher/Wellness Coordinator, Northern Lebanon, PA School District

"The time saving is awesome. We are able to use the handheld computer and that saves a lot of time from transferring records from paper to computer. I am able to teach longer lessons and interact more with the kids"
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"Health eTools for Schools has created PA State standard based lesson plans in fitness and nutrition. Those lesson plans allow students to make healthier choices"
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"I would recommend Health eTools to any school district that’s interested in reaching out to children and helping children with their wellness"
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CAROL HERSHEY, School Nurse, Fredericksburg Elementary School

"It has saved a lot of paperwork. And it has made what I do and what I record so much more accessible"
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"It is a huge time saver. It also generates letters to the parents that are mandated by the state with the BMIs"
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MARK MARINELLO, Health and Physical Education Teacher, Copper Beach Elementary School

"Research shows that students that engage in daily physical activity and consume a healthy diet perform better in schools"
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"Health eTools for Schools has created PA State standard based lesson plans in fitness and nutrition. Those lesson plans allow students to make healthier choices"
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"I would recommend Health eTools to any school district that’s interested in reaching out to children and helping children with their wellness"
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MARYANN MCDONOUGH, Parent, Abington School District

"I think Health eTools for Schools is excellent. Anything that works in a collaborative effort between the teachers and the parents I think is a very positive thing"
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"I’m really pleased that this type of tool is being made available to parents and teachers so that we can start teaching them at a young age how important it is to make healthy eating choices"
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"I like the idea that they are taking my children’s BMI because when I get the statistics back I can check them and talk to their primary physician about these numbers and what I can do to improve them"
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DR. RICHARD SNYDER, Independence Blue Cross

"I would strongly encourage schools to consider this program. This program, perhaps unlike any others, is an integrated program of measurement tools, monitoring tools, reporting tools, and even educational tools"
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"This provides us with the opportunity to support a program that helps schools to meet both a regulatory requirement and ethical requirement to their communities"
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AMY SICHEL, Superintendent, Abington School District

"We know healthier children have better attendance records, are better learners, and have a better focus on what’s going on in the classroom. So we’re really pleased with this method that we’re now using in Abington School District"
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"I would say talk to the people that are using it. Our nurses, our physical education and health education teachers. I think it’s a wonderful asset. They’ve been trained in using health eTools, they’ve been trained in the lessons. And they feel it’s made their job easier, more enjoyable, and more effective when it comes to dealing with children"
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"What Health eTools for Schools has been able to do for us is create a way to connect that wellness program to both the classroom, the nurses’ office, the principal, and anyone else who needs access"
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"Now we have the ability through this sort of system to talk and walk together"
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