After spending the weekend moving from Naples to Heritage Isles, Shane (who asked we use only his first name) walked into Heritage Elementary to register his daughter Giana for fifth grade. He brought a stack of paperwork with him, trying to guess what he would need.
Turns out, he guessed wrong. He didn’t have her record of vaccinations, and he didn’t have a record of a recent physical.
“To get into school in Hillsborough County, or anywhere in Florida, you have to have a physical,” says Evie Roque, MSN (Master of Science in Nursing), a nurse practitioner who works at the new community health center located on the campus of Hunter’s Green Elementary. Shane and Giana were referred to the health center to get her physical and immunization records so that she could start school.
“I called her doctor in Naples five or six times and I never got a call back,” Shane says. “If it wasn’t for these ladies, I would still be trying to get her shot records.”
Being new to the area, Shane didn’t yet have a primary care physician for Giana. The referrals he had gotten from her pediatrician in Naples didn’t pan out, and he wanted to start her in her new school as soon as possible.
Dr. Maria Russ, supervisor of school health services for Hillsborough County Schools, says Giana’s situation isn’t unique.
“Sometimes we see kids who are out of school three or four months waiting to enroll because they don’t have access to healthcare to get their school physical and vaccines,” she says. “So, our health centers are a surrogate for people until they find a permanent medical home.”
Roque explains, “We’re not primary care health providers. We don’t do treatments, and we’re not prescribing medications. Our goal is to get students into school, so we do physicals and make sure immunizations are up to date.”
While they don’t provide immunizations, the health care professionals at the clinic have access to statewide immunization records, and they refer people to the State of Florida Health Department if immunizations are needed.
Hunter’s Green Elementary has been the site of a school-based health center for more than 10 years, but the building it was housed in was dilapidated. Dr. Russ and other school officials wrote a grant to request money available through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as authorized by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. They received $500,000 for the construction and outfitting of the new, modular building.
It was officially opened on August 19, when Hillsborough County school officials gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“We had the support of the superintendent and the School Board for this project,” says Dr. Russ. “And, (U.S.) Representative Kathy Castor and Senator Bill Nelson were instrumental in that money being appropriated for this project.”
Dr. Russ also says that every high school in the county has a health center, but the Hunter’s Green Community Health Center is unique. It is one of just a few located at an elementary school, and most health centers are within the school campus. The Hunter’s Green health center is housed in a stand-alone modular building on campus, but completely outside of the school, so that it is easily accessible to families who need to use its services.
The grant even paid for additional parking spaces right outside the building.
Inside, the clinic features a waiting room, four treatment rooms, and a classroom equipped with smartboard technology for training nurses. Registered nurse Angella Eikenberry does patient intake at the health center, and also is responsible for training all new Hillsborough County Schools nurses in electronic medical records.
While a student doesn’t need a referral to visit the health center, many school principals and registrars refer families to the school-based health centers, including the one at Hunter’s Green.
“It can be an obstacle to being in school if parents can’t afford co-pays or have gaps in their insurance,” says Dr. Russ. So the staff at the clinic helps with needed services and connects families with health care providers.
Melanie Hall, executive director of the Family Healthcare Foundation in Tampa, says, “The Hunter’s Green clinic is ideally situated in an area that has a high concentration of uninsured children who need access to care.” She says that, according to data from the Florida Healthy Kids Corporation, the 33647 ZIP code has just under 9% of children who are uninsured, and the greatest number of uninsured kids in Hillsborough County are in the neighboring zip codes, 33592 (Thonotosassa) and 33559 (Lutz).
“We’ve found that school grades go up when kids are in school,” says Dr. Russ. “That’s our focus, to keep kids in school.”
It worked for Giana. After being referred to the Hunter’s Green center, she and her dad were thrilled with their experience. “These ladies are so personable,” says Shane. “Giana is afraid of the doctor, afraid of the dentist, but they made her feel so comfortable, and the way they interacted with her made me comfortable, too.”
And, that paperwork he needed?
“They were so helpful,” he says. “Angella came out from behind the desk and sat down with me and helped with each thing that needed to be filled out.”
And best of all, Giana was able to start school right away.
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