Facts

	School-Based Health Centers At Barnes and Wheeler Elementary Schools Providing primary health and mental health care to students and their families.
Health Home Contact Info (coming soon!) Participating Agencies Brochure (coming soon!) Registration Form BSD Grants Home	What the School-Based Health Centers provide: Physical health care: including flu, ear infections, rashes, etc.; immunizations; care chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes, etc.; coordination with existing primary care provider; well-visits; and referrals. University Pediatrics (Barbara Frankowski and Mary Lee Ritter) and Community Health Center of Burlington (Lee Orsky and Margaret Russell) provide the health care services. Began November 2000. Mental health services such as family outreach, crisis prevention and intervention, counseling for individuals, groups and families; and referrals to other specialists. The Baird Division of Howard Center for Human Services and the Visiting Nurse Association provide the services. Began September 2000. Community collaboration between Fletcher Allen Health Care-University Pediatrics, Community Health Center of Burlington, Baird Division of Howard Center for Human Services, Visiting Nurse Association, Burlington School District, City of Burlington, Vermont Health Department and Vermont Human Services Agency. What we've learned to date: Mental health interventions have calmed both schools, especially Wheeler. Wheeler's environment and discipline were cited by the Vermont Department of Education when it was named a school "in need of technical assistance" a year ago. Truancy has been reduced: Students are absent less for chronic health conditions and mental health needs. Students with chronic health needs such as asthma have ongoing care. Students who otherwise would not go to a doctor get care: Students whose parents are not able (because of work, jail and other constraints) to take them to the doctor or who would not believe it is a priority, are able to get care through the SBHC. The case studies illustrate these needs. Students and families agree to mental health care more readily. The inclusion of mental health services within a broader umbrella of helping programs eases the stigma and makes students and families more willing to receive services. Case studies: A family was referred to the SBHC social worker to deal with the emotional and academic impact of the death of a young student's mother. SBHC staff provided intensive wraparound services. The child revealed possible sexual abuse by a non-family member during meetings with the social worker. Because this child knew a physician at the SBHC, the child and father felt comfortable discussing this issue and being examined by the doctor. The father also agreed to parenting education and help with school attendance for an older sibling from a SBHC Family Support Worker. SBHC impact: The mental health services provided support to this student, highlighted family needs and identified the sexual abuse issues. A child was at school with 101 F temperature and a sore throat. Mom is on house arrest and could not miss a daily work crew to go to the doctor. The grandmother is not well and provides care for a sibling with multiple handicaps. The grandmother was encouraged to have the mom fill out a SBHC registration form. Mom registered both students. The student was seen the next morning at the SBHC and diagnosed with strep throat. The sister was later seen and diagnosed with strep. SBHC impact: These children would not have gone to a doctor's visit without the SBHC. The children would have suffered with their illness and infected their classmates. A special educator, teacher and the school health assistant referred a fifth-grade student to the SBHC because of his short attention span. The student had been diagnosed with ADHD and had been on and off medication. The mother has resisted use of medication and missed meetings. When the SBHC opened, the student was registered. The mother met with the provider who is also her child's primary care provider. Mom agreed to a trial of medication. School staff worried the student was not getting his medication. The SBHC provider got permission to administer the morning and noon doses at school. SBHC impact: Having school staff and PCP's under one roof permitted a coordinated effort to organize the family to try medication for this student. It built trust with the parent and allowed the student's condition to be monitored through an interdisciplinary team of educators and health professionals. Budget: The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation awarded the Vermont Agency of Human Services with three years of funding. However, Burlington participated only in the last six months of this grant, from September 2000-June 2001. The Foundation suggested in Fall 2000 that it would continue support for mental health services but decided to support other initiatives. Therefore, Burlington's SBHC Advisory Committee is seeking outside funding from a number of sources for Year 2 and future years. < An $80,000 investment leverages more than $165,000 in state and community resources (including $100,000 in Medicaid match, $30,000 from the Visiting Nurse Association, $10,000 from the Baird Center and $15,000 from the Burlington School District). For example, the grant pays for just 1.2 mental health positions but creates 4.0 FTEs. The budget also extends a number of District-funded part-time positions to full-time at these two high-needs schools. For example, the state requires 1 RN for every 500 students; Burlington is able to provide only five RNs and health assistants (who may not be health professionals) in other schools. Barnes Elementary School has not had a full-time guidance counselor.

School-Based Health Centers
At
Barnes and Wheeler Elementary Schools

Providing primary health and mental health care to students and their families.

Health Home

Contact Info
(coming soon!)

Participating Agencies

Brochure (coming soon!)

Registration Form

BSD

Grants Home

What the School-Based Health Centers provide:

Physical health care: including flu, ear infections, rashes, etc.; immunizations; care chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes, etc.; coordination with existing primary care provider; well-visits; and referrals. University Pediatrics (Barbara Frankowski and Mary Lee Ritter) and Community Health Center of Burlington (Lee Orsky and Margaret Russell) provide the health care services. Began November 2000.
Mental health services such as family outreach, crisis prevention and intervention, counseling for individuals, groups and families; and referrals to other specialists. The Baird Division of Howard Center for Human Services and the Visiting Nurse Association provide the services. Began September 2000.
Community collaboration between Fletcher Allen Health Care-University Pediatrics, Community Health Center of Burlington, Baird Division of Howard Center for Human Services, Visiting Nurse Association, Burlington School District, City of Burlington, Vermont Health Department and Vermont Human Services Agency.

What we've learned to date:

Mental health interventions have calmed both schools, especially Wheeler. Wheeler's environment and discipline were cited by the Vermont Department of Education when it was named a school "in need of technical assistance" a year ago.
Truancy has been reduced: Students are absent less for chronic health conditions and mental health needs.
Students with chronic health needs such as asthma have ongoing care.
Students who otherwise would not go to a doctor get care: Students whose parents are not able (because of work, jail and other constraints) to take them to the doctor or who would not believe it is a priority, are able to get care through the SBHC. The case studies illustrate these needs.
Students and families agree to mental health care more readily. The inclusion of mental health services within a broader umbrella of helping programs eases the stigma and makes students and families more willing to receive services.

Case studies:

A family was referred to the SBHC social worker to deal with the emotional and academic impact of the death of a young student's mother. SBHC staff provided intensive wraparound services. The child revealed possible sexual abuse by a non-family member during meetings with the social worker. Because this child knew a physician at the SBHC, the child and father felt comfortable discussing this issue and being examined by the doctor. The father also agreed to parenting education and help with school attendance for an older sibling from a SBHC Family Support Worker. SBHC impact: The mental health services provided support to this student, highlighted family needs and identified the sexual abuse issues.
A child was at school with 101 F temperature and a sore throat. Mom is on house arrest and could not miss a daily work crew to go to the doctor. The grandmother is not well and provides care for a sibling with multiple handicaps. The grandmother was encouraged to have the mom fill out a SBHC registration form. Mom registered both students. The student was seen the next morning at the SBHC and diagnosed with strep throat. The sister was later seen and diagnosed with strep. SBHC impact: These children would not have gone to a doctor's visit without the SBHC. The children would have suffered with their illness and infected their classmates.
A special educator, teacher and the school health assistant referred a fifth-grade student to the SBHC because of his short attention span. The student had been diagnosed with ADHD and had been on and off medication. The mother has resisted use of medication and missed meetings. When the SBHC opened, the student was registered. The mother met with the provider who is also her child's primary care provider. Mom agreed to a trial of medication. School staff worried the student was not getting his medication. The SBHC provider got permission to administer the morning and noon doses at school. SBHC impact: Having school staff and PCP's under one roof permitted a coordinated effort to organize the family to try medication for this student. It built trust with the parent and allowed the student's condition to be monitored through an interdisciplinary team of educators and health professionals.

Budget:

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation awarded the Vermont Agency of Human Services with three years of funding. However, Burlington participated only in the last six months of this grant, from September 2000-June 2001. The Foundation suggested in Fall 2000 that it would continue support for mental health services but decided to support other initiatives. Therefore, Burlington's SBHC Advisory Committee is seeking outside funding from a number of sources for Year 2 and future years. <

An $80,000 investment leverages more than $165,000 in state and community resources (including $100,000 in Medicaid match, $30,000 from the Visiting Nurse Association, $10,000 from the Baird Center and $15,000 from the Burlington School District). For example, the grant pays for just 1.2 mental health positions but creates 4.0 FTEs.

The budget also extends a number of District-funded part-time positions to full-time at these two high-needs schools. For example, the state requires 1 RN for every 500 students; Burlington is able to provide only five RNs and health assistants (who may not be health professionals) in other schools. Barnes Elementary School has not had a full-time guidance counselor.