Washington State PREP (WA PREP)
The Washington State Department of Health was awarded funding to implement PREP in Washington. The State PREP Team includes Washington State Department of Health, Cardea, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the Department of Social and Health Services.
Washington State Department of Health
Washington State Department of Health works with its federal, state and local partners to help people in Washington stay healthier and safer. Our programs and services help prevent illness and injury, promote healthy places to live and work, provide education to help people make good health decisions and ensure our state is prepared for emergencies. The Washington State Department of Health works with many partners to provide educational and training programs as well as health and safety information to help people make healthy choices. On August 17, 2010, Governor Gregoire designated the Department of Health as the lead agency to apply for and administer WA PREP. To implement this grant, the department has collaborated with Cardea, Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Department of Social and Health Services.
Cardea
Cardea is a mission-driven, principled team of committed and passionate staff who are dedicated to helping health and human service providers offer their best to their clients. Our mission is to improve organizations' abilities to deliver accessible, high quality, culturally proficient, and compassionate services to their clients. Strengthened by our diversity, we strive to deliver culturally proficient training, organizational development, and research services in collaboration with governmental and community agencies. Cardea's role within PREP will include training local educators in one of the five evidenced-based interventions that the community has chosen. Cardea will also provide training in supplemental topics and ongoing technical assistance, as needed to ensure that local educators have the knowledge and skills needed to implement their communities chosen curriculum effectively.
Washington State Department of Social and Health Services
Washington State Department of Social and Health Services is the state's largest agency. Each year more than 2.2 million children, families, vulnerable adults, and seniors throughout Washington State receive services from the Department. Washington State Department of Social and Health Services is an integrated organization providing a range of services including behavioral health care, financial assistance, food assistance, juvenile justice, child welfare, aging, and development disability services. Our mission is to improve the safety and health of individuals, families and communities by providing leadership and establishing and participating in partnerships. We are a strong partner in WA PREP because we believe that all of the vulnerable youth we serve today can become healthy empowered adults.
Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction is the primary agency charged with overseeing PK-12 public education in Washington State. Led by State School Superintendent Chris Reykdal, Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction works with the state's 295 school districts to administer basic education programs and implement education reform on behalf of more than one million public school students. The HIV and Sexual Health Education Program within the Teaching and Learning Division of Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction provides leadership, technical assistance, resources and support to schools by promoting best practices in HIV/STD/Unintended pregnancy prevention and comprehensive sexual health education. The program provides professional development opportunities for school staff to choose, align, and implement curriculum to meet legislative requirements and the educational needs of our students. Collaborating to implement WA PREP aligns with the overall goal of the HIV and Sexual Health program to ensure that all students have the necessary knowledge and skills for a safe and healthy life now, and in the future.