LEAHP State Teams
All LEAHP work is done within multi-sector, collaborative state teams. Learn more about how to make or join a state team.
About LEAHP State Teams
Why we use a team approach
LEAHP state teams are made up of people who care about promoting adolescent health and well-being, and particularly adolescent sexual health. LEAHP emphasizes a collaborative, multi-sector approach because we recognize that promoting adolescent health requires multiple perspectives. Aside from representing different sectors, LEAHP state team members have the capacity to guide policy and practice within their state. By bringing together a state’s “movers and shakers,” LEAHP aims to build and strengthen relationships that can sustain a state’s efforts to improve adolescent health.
Who can join a LEAHP State Team
LEAHP teams have a minimum of four individuals. The backbone of these state teams are representatives from the state education agency and the state health department. In addition to these representatives, LEAHP state teams can include representatives from a variety of stakeholders:
- Governor’s Office
- State Legislative Body
- State Board of Education
- Local Education Agencies
- Local Health Departments
- University or Research Partners
- Parent Organizations
- Youth Organizations
- LGBT-Serving Organizations
- Substance Use Organizations
- Mental Health Organizations
- Social Services
Current LEAHP state teams
Over 10 states have joined LEAHP since our first training in 2018. Check out the map below to see if your state already has a team. If you would like to be connected with an existing state team, fill out the Contact Us form to let us know.
- California
- District of Columbia
- Iowa
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- Utah
- Vermont
- Wisconsin
How to form a LEAHP state team
We are excited to have states join our network of LEAHP state teams. If your state does not have a team in place, you can create one.
Creating a team if you represent a state health or education agency
To formally enroll in LEAHP, state teams must have representation from both the state health and state education sectors. The state education representative can come from either the state education agency or the State Board of Education. If you represent any of these groups, the good news is that the process for forming a team is relatively straightforward.
- Get sign-off, as needed, within your own agency to participate in LEAHP.
- If you have a connection with someone at the other state agency (i.e., the state health department if you are at the state education agency or the state education agency if you are at the state health department), reach out to that person to see if they would also be interested in joining.
- If you both are interested in joining, fill out the Contact Us form and let us know that you have representatives from both the state health and education agencies who would like to join.
- If you do not have contacts at the other agency, you can still fill out the Contact Us form and request outreach support.
Creating a state team if you represent a non-state agency stakeholder
Individuals and organizations outside of state agencies play important roles in supporting the health of adolescents. Their existing relationships within their state also can help get a LEAHP team established in their state. If you represent a non-state agency stakeholder, here are the steps to forming a LEAHP team.
- Gather interest from other stakeholders to whom you have connections, especially at the state education agency or state health agency.
- If you do not have connections to either the state education or health agencies, consider leveraging the interest of other stakeholders and approaching the state agencies as a group.
- If you are able to get interest from the state education and health agencies, fill out the Contact Us form and let us know that you have representatives from both the state health and education agencies who would like to join.
- If you would like outreach support from the LEAHP team to contact state agencies, please fill out the Contact Us form and let us know.
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