Get Ready campaign holding contest for school-based health centers

For many people, back-to-school brings to mind images of new textbooks, supplies and a last-minute dash to finish up summer reading homework.

But here at the Get Ready campaign, we like to think that back-to-school preparedness means a whole lot more, such as being ready for emergencies and disasters. As such, we’re calling on school-based health centers to raise awareness of emergency preparedness among students via our new Get Ready contest.

For this year’s Get Ready Day, which takes place on Sept. 20, we’re inviting all school-based health centers to hold a preparedness event and then tell us what they did. We’ll choose the top three centers with the best events and award prizes of $500, $250 and $100.

Co-sponsored by the National Assembly on School-Based Health Care, the contest is open to all U.S. school-based health centers.

Just as there are many ways to get ready for emergencies, there are just as many ways to create a Get Ready Day event at your school-based health center. Here are a few ideas:
• Hang fliers on preparedness inside the health center or around the halls.
• Encourage students to take part in APHA’s Get Ready Day video contest.
• Hold a preparedness information fair and give away fact sheets and other materials from the Get Ready campaign.

For more ideas, check out the contest website, or come up with your own! Events can take place on Get Ready Day or any time during September, which is also National Preparedness Month.

After your event is over, write up a description of what you did, including the goal of the event, who organized it, how many people it reached, what it accomplished and your contact information. Photos and artwork are encouraged! Send us (getreadycontest@apha.org) your submission by Oct. 10.

And remember: While Get Ready Day is just 24 hours, emergency preparedness is important 365 days of the year!