New facility at Mary Morrisson Elementary School provides medical, mental health care where students are
The DayJan 01, 2020
A health center, run by the
"I think it will be an extraordinary addition to our school and to our families," Principal
The school-based health center, which opened in December, has a nurse practitioner available for physical examinations and other medical appointments that kids need but families, including military families, tend to have a hard time scheduling, Superintendent
Students can access the school-based health center for physical examinations, immunizations, when they are sick, for prescriptions (but not for controlled substances) and for management of conditions such as asthma, according to a list provided by the agency. The nurse practitioner can collaborate with the student's primary care provider, or refer the child to that provider.
The mental health clinic is intended to mirror an outpatient clinic, said Mary Morrisson mental health clinician
An office was converted to house the medical clinic, where the nurse practitioner provides care, and a portable classroom was set up for the mental health clinician's office.
Access to health care
School-based health centers can lead to children taking fewer sick days and having to miss fewer school days for medical appointments. They also help parents ensure their children get health care "without missing work time and wages," and by providing a place to get physicals, ensure children don't have issues entering school on time, the report states.
The health centers bill insurance companies but families pay no out-of-pocket costs, according to
Janicek also noted that the centers also help families save on medical costs, as they have to make fewer Emergency Room visits, also creating less of a burden for the state. She said state funding for the center is
The state's biennial budget this year provided funding to the
Conley said she worked with de la Cruz on getting state funding for the center, after hearing from
While not replacing a primary care provider, a center can help make it easier for families to get medical care, especially for a moving population with busy families, she said. Families appreciate not having to take off a whole day or half-day from work for more minor medical issues.
De la Cruz called the health center a "step in the right direction" and said early detection, on anything as simple as a cold, is beneficial.
"I think it's going to be one more tool that we have to help parents and the community with their health care," he added.
State Sen.
A resource within the school
School-based health center nurse practitioner
If a child or parent doesn't speak English, a language line is available so Hodges can communicate with them with interpreters.
Staff at school-based health centers also do preventative care and follow up on issues "day in and day out," Janicek said. She said research has shown school-based health centers make a big difference in terms of kids with asthma being able to stay in school more often.
Center staff performs mental health screenings at every physical and every time there is a concern, but the centers are moving toward mental health screenings at every visit, a trend in the larger medical field, Janicek said.
Through the center, teachers can learn more about mental health and how that impacts learning, Janicek pointed out.
"We become definitely a resource within the building, not just for the students but also for the teachers and helping them learn about different pieces of mental health that impact kids' availability to learn," Janicek said.
All of the schools in
In
When Claude Chester and Mary Morrisson close, along with
"This is going to be a wonderful asset to our school system to support the children and their families," Graner said of the new center.
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