CRAIG HOCKENBERRY SUPERINTENDENT

 

14 reasons SBHC work

CRAIG HOCKENBERRY SUPERINTENDENT

 

14 reasons SBHC work

 

By Craig Hockenberry Superintendent

 

I.                 SBHC are Poverty Interrupters

In my opinion poor health is one of the top causes for poor academic performance in our high poverty schools and is directly related to health care issues;

 

Any opportunity to interrupt, slow down, or improve health issues that impact kids at school is a good thing

 

SBHC gave me an opportunity to interrupt poverty.

 

II.              SBHC are Convenient

People in poverty cannot get places fast enough (bus routes, no cars or broken down cars, and clinics are too far away);

 

Location in schools is prompt and convenient;

Pull the students in need of services out of class and then get them right back in a seat to continue learning.

 

III.          SBHC can monitor Chronic Illnesses

SBHC have the ability to manage chronic conditions such as diabetes, allergies, asthma at a higher level of care and monitoring. 

 

IV.         Vaccinations

½ of my kindergarten students were not properly vaccinated;

 

This meant I was quarantining family after family of kids that were already so far behind academically; I’m talking about kids that did not know their colors, letters, how to hold a pencil - did not even know how to say their names and I’m telling them go home because you do not have your shots; 

 

The ability to give students immunizations diminishes the number of students who have to be excluded from school. 

 

 

V.             Attendance

The attendance rate before the SBHC ran around 80%;

 

After the SBHC we were running as high as 94%;

 

Kids in poverty spread all types of sickness, ailments around;

 

They live in close quarters (6-7 deep in apartments);

 

 

They put everything in their mouths;

 

SBHC can treat these illnesses & stop the spread, which increases attendance school-wide and performance rates.

 

VI.         Head lice –Bed Bugs

I hated dealing with head lice;

Head lice, head lice, head lice day after day;

Huge disruption to classroom instruction;

I spent hours washing kids’ hair and treating head lice;

 

It was hard to be an instructional leader when washing heads became a top priority;

 

SBHC was able to add several layers to educate and reduce the spread of head lice and beg bug.

 

VII.      Medications

We managed more medications in the 15 years than some small clinics. BEFORE SBHC, I had aides and sectaries giving medications

(Epi pen situation @ Oyler);

 

The ability to have medical staff monitoring medication takes a huge risk and liability off of educators and puts them back in their focus of instruction.

 

VIII.  Early detections

Through routine check-ups we caught things that saved lives;

 

We found lumps that later turned out to be cancer (treated it and saved lives);

 

We caught eye infections that stopped blindness;

 

We stopped infections that could have killed kids;  

 

We caught tooth decay that was so bad it put kids in the hospital and prevented many others from going.

 

IX.          Education & Prevention

SBHC brings huge opportunities for hearing, vision, & other screenings to be treated more quickly and efficiently;

 

Education in the classrooms helps bring awareness to students;

 

On-site consultation (If a major outbreak of a disease occurs we have access to professionals and they have access to their networks, which can help tremendously during a severe situation).

 

X.             Sports Physicals & Well Checks

Kids in Ohio must have a sport’s physical;

 

Failure to have one results their inability to participate;

 

Involvement in sports and positive programs is a huge factor in the success of kids;

 

SBHC allows this to happen immediately.

 

XI.          Referrals to Mental Health

The biggest disrupter of American Public schools is mental health;

 

SBHC allow quicker access to mental health diagnosis, prevention

 

XII.      Positive Impact on working parents

With proper consent, working parents do not have to take off work to take their child to a doctor or clinic.  SBHC allows the school to treat the child, get them back in a learning seat, and minimize the disruption to their education and future success. Which, of course, results in working families not losing hours, pay, or risk of termination.

XIII.   Ability to serve staff

Reduce staff absences, which keeps the main instructor in the classroom and not a substitute less familiar with content.

 

XIV.  Provides kids in poverty with a medical home

Most kids in poverty use the ER as their medical home;

 

They wait until they are deathly ill and go to the ER;

 

Well-checks, early detection, and a relationship with health; provider at school can prevent ER visits.

 

 

By Craig Hockenberry