ALL CHILDREN DESERVE A HEALTHY START IN LIFE

Coleman works to promote:
· A healthy environment for all San Francisco children.
· Access to quality, comprehensive health care.
· A prevention and early intervention approach to public health and health care delivery.

The results of our work include:
· The creation of Wellness Centers in every comprehensive high school in San Francisco.
· The enactment of the Healthy Kids program, providing universal health care to San Francisco children up to 300% of poverty, and making San Francisco one of the only cities in the country with universal health care.
· Banning soda and junk food in the public schools.
· The creation of an official citywide Taskforce on Childhood Nutrition and Physical Exercise to address the childhood obesity crisis.
· The creation of an Adolescent Health Unit in the Department of Public Health.

• For excellent information on promoting healthy food in schools, see the Parents Advocating School Accountability web site
  
  
• Adolescent Health Working Group
  
  
• For information on numerous school-related health issues, including asthma, condom availability, air quality, Peer Resources, Healthy Start, tobacco prevention, see the public school web siteClick above to go to SFUSD website, then click on School Health Programs.
  
  
• Department of Public Health
  
  
• Health Initiatives for Youth
  
  
• CLICK HERE FOR THE HIYA REPORT: The Real World--Young Adults and the Health Insurance Crisis
  
  

COLEMAN PROJECTS

• Healthy Insurance for Young Adults--Click here for the Fact Sheet
  Health Insurance for Young Adults (HIYA) is a collaboration between Coleman and the Adolescent Health Working Group to foster information dissemination, coalition-building, budget advocacy, and leadership development around San Francisco’s newly expanded Healthy Kids & Young Adults insurance program Healthy Kids & Young Adults, administered by the SF Health plan beginning January 2005 and supported by Mayor Newsom, extends low-cost health insurance to 19-24 year old young adults who are aging out of existing government-sponsored health insurance programs. HIYA is another step in urging our city to support transitional-age youth.
  
  
  Project Goals
  After establishing the fact that the 18-24 y/o demographic is a vulnerable one, we aim to use that as the basis of support for policy initiatives to extend health care coverage during the transitional period between adolescence and adulthood.
  
  Outreach Goals
  The goal for this group is to determine if what the research indicates the 18-24 y/o population needs is consistent with what they want and utilize. From the information gathered through the background policy research, focus groups, and clinic assessments, a survey will be designated to let the 18-24 y/o population speak for themselves. In an outreach effort, at least 250-500 young adults will be surveyed for this project.
  
  The outreach group is also responsible for evaluating the details of health insurance options available to young adults. This component may need to be part of ongoing project proposal that would continue into the school year.