Most American children spend at least six hours at school each day. Teachers and staff have the power to shape young minds beyond the classroom. When students are provided with examples of healthy habits at school, they can assimilate those behaviors into their home life. It’s a ripple effect. Healthier students can mean healthier families and even healthier communities.
Still, access to quality healthcare and health education remains a critical challenge for many U.S. communities, including Allen County, due to factors like funding. Complicating matters, cultural diversity and misinformation can widen the gap in health literacy.
According to data from Amani Family Services, immigrants make up more than 6% of the population. Many foreign-born or ethnic families struggle to access consistent and tailored health resources.
Recognizing these challenges, the Allen County Department of Health has stepped up with a bold solution that’s breaking barriers and building trust at the same time. In January 2024, the health department introduced a
school-based health educator position funded by Indiana tax dollars. Each Indiana Health Department that opted in to the
Health First Indiana funding initiative is required to work on core public health service areas and key performance indicators. In Allen County, this takes the form of a school liaison who assists schools with various programming or education around public health and wellness.
Mindy Waldron, Allen County Department of Health administrator, puts this initiative into the larger context.
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Mindy Waldron, Fort Wayne Community Schools’ Health and Wellness Services Director“We’ve known for a long time that we needed more dedicated health education occurring to the public, to the schools, and overall, to all,” she says. “When we created this role specifically for schools, we found that it quickly became a true and broad health education role, so we changed the position title and added duties for a broad public health reach.”
Prior to this position, Waldron says health education was the charge of several staff members in the department. The state funds allowed for the creation of a full-time position to focus solely on various methods of health education. Since the program’s launch, the position has transitioned into what’s now known as a Health Educator. Mary Kohrman serves in this capacity and handles all school-related liaison duties, too. Kohrman is a former educator with a master’s degree in public health. She’s tasked with connecting every school in Allen County with the department’s services and resources.
“We serve all schools in Allen County, including the Amish schools, and have even recently assisted online school-goers as well as some home school students with a one-stop shop to get caught up on vaccines and other health services in partnership with many other entities,” Waldron says. “We seek to serve all students and better their health and well-being – one program and one event at a time.”
With that goal in mind, training and program offerings focus on prevention and raising awareness about health concerns that affect the community. This partnership allows staff to assist school staff and faculty with health-related challenges, to ensure the best health outcomes for their students.
That work looks different in different contexts. For instance, Waldron notes that over the last year the department has deployed a significant amount of free training to schools and staff, such as CPR, Stop the Bleed, Safe Sitter, safe food handling, handwashing and other programming. Kohrman creates restroom reader posters, attends events and health fairs to educate students and adults.
The department is intentional about asking for feedback, analyzing it, and adopting its approaches to cater to student health education.
Waldron cites a specific example that’s paid off.
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Public Health Student Heroes get hands-on training during a Stop the Bleed certification class.“After speaking with the schools, we heard that public health and educational messaging ‘made by students for students’ was likely to be more successful when played/shared in schools, through [channels such as] message boards, announcements, videos, ads, posters, social media, et cetera,” she says. “Our school liaison created the Public Health Student Heroes campaign whereby students could apply from any school to work together to develop messaging on various topics we provided them for deployment in schools.”
Kohrman mentored and assisted them, and many of their materials were rolled out to schools for in-house use. The department has also made a tangible impact outside the confines of the traditional school system. One of their unique strategies involved engaging the Amish community through tailored health education programs.
“Our approach was about education rather than imposing programs like vaccination,” Waldron says.
The health department began with a pilot initiative in one Amish school but soon expanded to work with every Amish school in the county. Waldron explains the strategy focused on tailoring public health information to resonate with the audience. For example, instead of framing CPR training around city-centric risks like gunshot wounds or car accidents, the message focused on injuries from tractor accidents or farming equipment, as these hazards are more common in Amish settings.
Waldrom says she’s confident her team’s willingness to adapt their messaging to fit Amish day-to-day realities has played a significant role in building trust over time. Additionally, the department sought to break the barrier of mistrust by emphasizing that their role was to educate, not to enforce governmental policies. In her words, “We wanted them to see us as educators and resources.”
While the program's full outcomes have yet to be reported, initial evidence shows clear success.
“The feedback from school personnel has been overwhelmingly positive, as this is about education and providing helpful resources – and then letting them take it from there,” she says.
Fort Wayne Community Schools’ Health and Wellness Services Director Mary Hess had high praise for the partnership.
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Students learn lifesaving techniques at a CPR class at Carroll High School.“The school health liaison has been instrumental in uniting schools across Allen County under a consistent approach to health education and communication,” she says. “Without this coordination, schools often rely on principals or administrators, well-intentioned but not always trained in public health, to craft messaging and policies, leading to confusion among parents and the community.”
Hess notes that while Fort Wayne Community Schools has a strong team of school nurses who guide their health policies, many schools lack this resource. The liaison has been a game changer for those schools, ensuring a reliable pipeline for health information, providing vital safety training, and certifying key staff. In her estimation, the department has also empowered youth through babysitting courses and effective peer-led public service announcements on issues like vaping and opioid use.
Quantitatively, Waldron says the initiative extended its reach significantly in 2024. As documented in the
Health First Allen County annual report, the department reported widespread impact across schools. There was an emphasis on targeting underserved areas and delivering services aligned with specific community needs.
Despite its initial success, Waldron is candid about how future budget reductions have created an element of uncertainty. The state legislature reduced the funding by 75% for the 2026-2027 cycle. This reduction threatens the stability of positions like the health educator and specialized outreach programs. However, Waldron notes that, at this juncture, the department plans to
maintain the status quo by way of a tentative budget.