Advocating for Student Healing & Health

The California School-Based Health Alliance (CSHA) is hosting the 2023 California School Health Conference: Advocating for Student Healing & Health, at the Holiday Inn Downtown Sacramento on April 17-18, 2023.

Learn, grow, and connect with fellow providers, educators, advocates, and other leaders in the school-based health care movement across the state. Whether you are a seasoned veteran or just starting out in school-based health, we have workshops for all levels of experience and engagement. Join us on Tuesday, April 18, for School Health Advocacy Day and tell legislators about the impact that your school-based health and wellness center is making in your community, and how they can support increased access to health care for children and youth!

For the latest info about workshops, agenda, and hotel, please visit our website at bit.ly/CSHAconference.

Become a Member & Save on Registration

Members of CSHA get an exclusive $150 discount on early bird and standard registration, along with other benefits, such as member-only webinars and toolkits. Join today!

Members: Find your discount code on the members-only section of our website at bit.ly/CSHAmemberresources and apply your code during ticket selection.

FAQs

Where will the conference be held?

The conference will be held on Monday, April 17, 2023, at the Holiday Inn Downtown in Sacramento. The School Health Advocacy Day will be held on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, at the Capitol Annex Swing Space in Sacramento. We will also be hosting an evening reception on Monday, April 17, 2023, at Darling Aviary.

Is there a discount for the hotel where the conference will be held?

Yes, we have a room block at the Holiday Inn Downtown Sacramento and you can use this link to book your room. The group code is SBH.

I have a promo code. How do I use it?

Click the "Tickets" button on the top right of this screen. A window will pop up with "General Admission" and the price per ticket. There is a small blue "Enter promo code" link above that. Click on the link, enter your promo code, and press apply.

I am presenting. How do I register?

You should receive instructions that will include a code that you can enter above the General Admission listing when you get to the registration form (after clicking on the "Tickets" button on the top right). There is a small blue "Enter promo code" link above that. Click on the link, enter your promo code, and press apply. If you have not received this code, email conference@schoolhealthcenters.org.

I want to attend but cannot because of finances. Are scholarships available?

Yes, email conference@schoolhealthcenters.org to request a scholarship.

What times are the conference sessions?

The conference runs from 8 am - 5:30 pm with concurrent morning and afternoon breakout sessions. You will choose one morning session and two afternoon sessions with a hosted lunch in between. We will host an evening reception at Darling Aviary from 5:30 - 7:30 pm. The School Health Advocacy Day will run from 8:30 am - 3 pm on Tuesday, April 18. You can see the schedule here.

Can the conference ‘sell out’ and there will not be enough spaces?

Because of space limitations, our event is limited to 400 participants. Register early to make sure we can secure your space.

Is parking available on site?

The Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown has self express parking in front of the hotel available for $30 per night. Parking is available at a municipal parking garage adjacent to the hotel for $28 all day, or $20 for overnight self garage parking.

Will any part of the conference be streamed or presented virtually?

We will not be streaming or virtually presenting any part of the conference this year. 

Will you be offering continuing education (CE) credits for any workshops?

Yes, our breakout workshop on motivational interviewing will be conducted in two parts during the morning and afternoon with a break for lunch. It will offer 2.5 hours of CE credit to participating psychologists, RNs, LMFTs, LCSWs, and certified alcohol and drug counselors who attend both sessions.

Can I submit a workshop proposal? What is the deadline?

We have reached out to presenters and are already finalizing our workshops for the program. We are posting workshops on our website as they are confirmed.

What are your COVID precautions?

We care about the health of our conference attendees and the communities you represent. CSHA is requesting attendees and presenters to attest to COVID vaccination when registering. For those unable to attest to COVID vaccination, CSHA encourages the use of daily rapid tests and masks, which will be available at registration.

CSHA is encouraging all conference attendees to wear a mask during the two-day conference.

What are your plans if there is a surge in COVID rates near the time of the event?

We are following public health guidelines closely and will implement any new recommendations. We will host the conference virtually if it is no longer safe for us to gather in person and we will provide refunds upon request.

What is your cancellation policy?

We will address cancellations on a case by case basis and will honor any refund requests related to COVID or other illness. If we decide to host the conference virtually we will provide refunds upon request.

Do I have to bring my printed ticket to the event?

No, you do not need to bring a printed ticket to this event.

Can I update my registration information?

Yes. Log in to your Eventbrite account to update your registration information. 

Is my ticket transferrable?

Yes. If for whatever reason you cannot attend this event and want to transfer your registration to a colleague, please send an email to conference@schoolhealthcenters.org with your request.

Advocacy Day FAQs

When is School Health Advocacy Day? And do I have to participate for the full day?

School Health Advocacy Day takes place on Tuesday, April 18, from 8:30 am - 3:00 pm. This is the day after the full day conference. Yes, please plan on participating for the entire time.

Do I have to attend the conference on April 17 to participate in School Health Advocacy Day?

Yes. There are two registration options: Conference + Advocacy Day; Conference only. If you only want to attend advocacy day, please contact us at conference@schoolhealthcenters.org and we will evaluate requests on a case-by-case basis.

Will I have to walk far? How close is the conference hotel to where the visits will take place?

All of the advocacy day visits will take place at the Capitol Annex Swing Space. This is 0.9 miles from the Holiday Inn and is about a 20-minute walk. Make sure to wear comfortable walking shoes! Contact us at conference@schoolhealthcenters.org if you are unable to walk that far and we will make accommodations to ensure you can still participate.

I have never done advocacy visits with legislators before and I’m nervous. How will I know what to do?

CSHA staff will be hosting one webinar prior to the conference and will have a workshop at the conference so you can get all the information you need to prepare for meetings with legislators. We will cover information about what to expect in meetings, how to prepare and practice your talking points, and how to respond to difficult questions. Legislators work for YOU and want to hear from YOU. CSHA staff will help you get ready for visits but it’s really the opportunity to share what you already know about school health and the needs of students and families in your community.

Will I be participating in visits by myself?

No, CSHA staff will create “teams” of about 2-5 participants. Each team will be assigned 2-4 visits with legislative offices.

Will I be meeting with my representative?

We ask participants for their home address because it is really helpful for legislators to hear from their constituents (i.e. the people that live in the legislator’s district). However, we often have many participants coming from the same Assembly or Senate district and we do our best to keep teams small. So it is very likely that you will be assigned meetings with legislators that don’t represent your district.

Will I be lobbying? I’m not sure I’m allowed to participate in lobbying activities.

Lobbying is a specific activity where you are asking a legislator to take an action on a particular bill or policy. The main goal of these visits will be to educate legislators about school health and SBHCs. However, we will prepare you to lobby on 2-3 specific policies TBD. This will likely include asking legislators to support or oppose certain bills and/or support funding for SBHCs. Definitely check with your organization about requirements around lobbying activities.

Will lunch be provided?

Yes, we will provide breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snacks on April 18. Breakfast and afternoon snacks will be available at the Holiday Inn where we will start and end our day. Box lunches will be available at The California Museum's Constitutional Wall Courtyard from 11:00 am - 2:00 pm, which is across the street from the Capitol Annex Swing Space where your meetings with legislators will take place.