NFHS, NACCHO Announce Corporate Partnership to Promote Health and Wellness Among Adolescents

 The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) are pleased to announce a partnership to promote health and wellness among the 12 million-plus participants in high school sports and performing arts programs across the country.

NACCHO, the voice of the country’s nearly 3,000 local health departments, supports local health departments’ initiatives to promote healthy living in the communities they serve. NACCHO provides cutting-edge, skill-building, professional resources, and programs crafted to optimize health equity, and support effective local public health practice and systems. NACCHO is committed to continuing to make positive strides in the advancement of public health and supports like-minded opportunities for partnerships.

“NACCHO’s Immunization Team is proud to partner with the National Federation of State High School Associations in this new CDC-funded project, to strengthen adolescent vaccination confidence and uptake,” said Matt Bobo, Senior Director of NACCHO's Immunization and Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health teams. “NFHS’s positive reputation in the communities they serve makes this organization an ideal partner to assist in communicating public-health messages across the United States. By leveraging organizational strengths and assets, we have begun working together in efforts to develop communication materials for NFHS's audience of young athletes and the families that support them, all while highlighting these athletes hard work and the important role trusted messengers, like coaches and teachers, play in their lives.”

“The NFHS is pleased to partner with NACCHO to promote health and wellness in high school activity programs nationwide,” said Dr. Karissa Niehoff, NFHS chief executive officer. “One of the key objectives of the NFHS is to promote safety and encourage healthy lifestyles in education-based high school athletics and performing arts programs. In addition, one of the Strategic Priorities in the 2021-2025 NFHS Strategic Plan is Student Mental, Emotional and Physical Wellness. Certainly, this partnership with NACCHO will assist in this goal of the NFHS and its member state associations.”