Policy and Advocacy | City Administration | Congress | City Councilmembers | Sample Advocacy Letter

Policy and Advocacy
The DC Assembly on School Health Care advocates for policies and resources that will
sustain and strengthen our network of School Health Centers (SHCs) so that they can:

• • Improve access to critically needed care where children learn and grow
  • Strengthen health equity for our city's most disadvantaged youth
  • Foster opportunity for learning readiness and academic success
   
  Some of our policy initiatives include:
  • Changes to DCMR Title V that will allow SHCs to dispense over the counter and
    prescription medication
  • Advocating for funding in the City's budget to support a pilot School Health Center
  • Medicaid reimbursement for SHCs
  • Establishing the DC Department of Health as the agency providing clinical
    oversight of the SHCs

City Administration
Adrian Fenty / Mayor
Executive Office of the Mayor
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 310
Washington, DC 20004
Ask the Mayor

Victor Reinoso / Deputy Mayor for Education
Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education
John A. Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 303
Washington, DC 20004
202-727-3636

DC Department of Health
Dr. Carlos Cano / Interim Director and State Health Officer
District of Columbia Department of Health
Department of Health
825 North Capitol Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002 202-671-5000

Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE)
Deborah A. Gist / State Superintendent of Education
OSSE
441 4th Street, NW, Suite 350 North
Washington, DC 20001 202-727-6436

District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS)
Michelle Rhee / Chancellor, DCPS
District of Columbia Public Schools
825 N. Capitol St, NE
Washington, DC 20002
http://app.dc.gov/apps/about.asp?page=atd&type=dsf&referrer=[$DSF_SERVER_NAM
E$] &agency_id=1013

Congress
Non-voting DC Delegate to the US House of Representatives
Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton
2136 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: 202 225-8050
Fax: 202 225-3002
(TTY): 202-225-1904
http://www.norton.house.gov/forms/contact.html

City Councilmembers:
http://www.dccouncil.us/members.html

Vincent C. Gray / Council Chair
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 504
Washington, DC 20004
Office: (202)724-8032
Fax: (202)724-8085

Jack Evans / Chair Pro Tempore / Ward Two
1350 Pennyslvania Avenue NW, Suite 106
Washington, DC 20004
Office: (202) 724-8058
Fax: (202) 724-8023

Carol Schwartz / At-Large
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 404
Washington, D.C. 20004
Office: (202) 724-8105 
Fax: (202) 724-8071

David Catania / At-Large
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 110
Washington, DC  20004
Office: (202) 724-7772
Fax: (202) 724-8087

Phil Mendelson / At-Large
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 402
Washington, DC 20004
Office: (202) 724-8064
Fax: (202) 724-8099

Kwame R. Brown / At-Large
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 506
Washington, DC 20004
Office: (202) 724-8174
Fax: (202) 824-8156

Jim Graham / Ward One
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 105
Washington, DC 20004
Office: (202) 724-8181
Fax: (202) 724-8109

Mary M. Cheh / Ward Three
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 108
Washington, DC 20004
Office: (202) 724-8062
Fax: (202) 724-8118

Muriel Bowser / Ward Four
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 406
Washington DC 20004
Office: (202) 724-8052
Fax: (202) 741-0908

Harry Thomas Jr. / Ward Five
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 107
Washington, DC 20004
Office: (202) 724-8028
Fax: (202) 724-8076

Tommy Wells / Ward Six
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 408
Washington, DC 20004
Office: (202) 724-8072
Fax: (202) 724-8054 

Yvette Alexander / Ward Seven
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 400
Office: (202) 724-8068
Fax: (202) 724-0911

Marion Barry / Ward Eight
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 102
Washington, DC 20004
Office: (202) 724-8045
Fax: (202) 724-8055

Sample Letter: Dear [Mayor or City Councilmember],

I am writing to you as a voter in the District of Columbia on behalf of the DC Assembly on School Health Care (DCASHC). The DC Assembly on School Health Care is a coalition of organizations and individuals committed to providing quality and accessible health care for children and adolescents in the District of Columbia. The DC Assembly was founded to provide more coordinated efforts to increase the availability of health care for at-risk and medically underserved populations through partnerships involving schools and health care providers.

In the coming year, please consider incorporating funding for School Health Centers into the budget. There are currently only four in the district, and I believe we need to invest in more School Health Centers so that more children can access comprehensive and quality health care that these centers provide.

At these health centers, students can receive primary care, mental health services, dental health services, and prevention and education services. These health centers are extremely important in maintaining the health of the student body and contributing to the overall academic success of each student. They offer services to students that otherwise may not be available to them as well as the convenience of location. They have also been shown to reduce the number of inappropriate hospital stays and decrease unnecessary emergency room utilization. The combination of convenience and earlier intervention accounts for fewer missed days of school, increased seat time in the classroom, and cost savings, among many other advantages.

Thank you for your consideration of School Health Centers.

Sincerely,