Youth Advocacy Day
Thanks to our sponsors Councilmember Catania and Councilmember Wells, the DC Assembly organized a Youth Advocacy Day at the DC City Council on Halloween, October 31, 2007. Over 25 high school students from Eastern and Woodson High Schools arrived at the John A Wilson Building at 1350 Pennsylvania Ave, NW and spent the day meeting with Councilmembers and their staff. The students came to the Council with specific tasks at hand: to discuss the benefits of the health centers at their schools and to ask the Councilmembers to consider the following requests:

1. Would you be willing to visit a School Health Center?
2. We would like School Health Centers to give prescription medications. Can you help make the policy changes required to do that?
3. Would the Council hold a hearing on the effectiveness of School Health Centers?
4. Would you help students by putting a School Health Center in every high school in DC?

The students were able to meet with several councilmembers including:
Chairman Gray, Councilmember Barry, Councilmember Thomas, and Councilmember Alexander. They also met with staff from the offices of: Councilmembers Bowser, Brown, Cheh, Evans, and Mendelson. The students were so involved in the meetings, they didn'­t even get a chance to meet with Councilmember Schwartz and Councilmember Graham, but they managed to pass on their requests. Following their meetings, Councilmembers Catania and Wells conducted a briefing for the students and spoke about the progress that DC, particularly the Committee on Health, has made in improving access to quality health care for adults and children. The students then asked questions and engaged in thoughtful dialogue with Councilmember Catania and Councilmember Wells.

Wellness Days
The DC Assembly will be hosting Wellness Days at various health center locations throughout the Spring of 2008. Our goals for the days are to teach students more about taking charge of their own health by making healthier choices as well as by utilizing the health centers and the services they offer.

Practitioner Meetings
The DC Assembly holds quarterly practitioner'­s meetings in which the various SHC practitioners (Pediatricians, Nurse Practitioners, Mental Health Staff, etc.) convene to discuss issues pertaining to their clinical work as well as ideas to improve delivery of services to the students.