Le Bonheur Healthy Schools program partners with schools to teach good health habits to children and teens. The programs are based on the school-health model advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. We currently have programs in both Memphis and West Tennessee schools.

In Memphis, Healthy Schools serves 190 schools and almost 125,000 students a year. The staff includes 37 registered nurses in Memphis and 10 nurses in Tipton County who provide health services and education to students, parents and school staff.

The staff provides intensive case management services for children with asthma and diabetes. In both programs, case managers interact with the physicians, school staff , and parents of the student in order to develop the best care plan for home and school. In addition, in-services are provided for school staff .

The goals of the Open Airways Asthma Education Program are to decrease nighttime symptoms, decrease absenteeism, and decrease  Emergency Department utilization. During the program, case managers tracked school absences before and after participation in the course. They saw a 50-percent reduction in the number of school absences. School systems across the country are using the Memphis program as a model for their schools.

In West Tennessee, Healthy Schools serves the 20 counties that surround Shelby County. The department collaborates with local health councils to provide new and innovative programs inside the schools. The Learn 2 Be Healthy program targets kindergarten through fourth-grade students. The program includes the required Tennessee curriculum to teach children nutrition and physical activity. Children are tested before and after they participate in the program to determine their knowledge of health, nutrition and fitness. Health screenings such as blood pressure, heart rate and flexibility are also included in the program.

In addition the Learn 2 Be Healthy program, West Tennessee Healthy Schools offers a variety of other programs implemented in the schools. In Trenton, Tenn., students from Peabody High School participate in a challenge course that includes ropes and other obstacles. The teens must work together across the series of obstacles to make it to the other side, which promotes camaraderie and fitness skills. Lace Up for a Good Life is a project aimed at improving the health and well-being of school students. It provides an opportunity for staff to walk the most miles and compete for prizes for the healthiest schools.

In 2004, the West Tennessee program implemented Lace Up for a Good Life in 11 schools and achieved a total of 42,666.73 miles walked by school staff . The program also hosted 12 Learn 2 Be Healthy events for almost 500 participants.