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Memorial Hermann Wins Statewide Community Service Award

Houston, Texas, July 8, 2003 -- When the bell rings at a number of Houston area schools, children are as likely to be heading for physical exams as final exams, or social services instead of social studies. The reason? Health care is a vital part of the curriculum, thanks to an innovative school-based health care program launched by Memorial Hermann Healthcare System eight years ago.

For this effort, Memorial Hermann was honored with the Texas Hospital Association’s 2003 Excellence in Community Service Award. The award for distinguished community service was presented during THA’s 2003 Conference and Expo last month in Austin.

“Our primary focus has been to improve the health of children, many of whom have no other access to health care,” explains Deborah Ganelin, director of Memorial Hermann Health Centers for Schools program. “We understand that to do well in school, children first must be healthy.”

In the early ’90s, a citywide needs assessment showed children’s access to health care was reaching crisis proportions in Houston. Based on those findings, Memorial Hermann galvanized resources and formed community partnerships, making school-based health care a top priority. The major goal: overcome many of the barriers that affect children’s access to health care.

School-based clinics provided the answer. Memorial Hermann’s Health Centers for Schools Program began in 1995 with two health centers serving three schools. Today, the program has grown to encompass four fully owned centers and one collaborative center serving
18 schools in three different school districts.

“Memorial Hermann created the school-based health centers as a strategic initiative to achieve our system’s Purpose Statement of ‘providing high quality health services in order to improve the health of the people in southeast Texas,’” says Dan Wolterman, president and chief executive officer of Memorial Hermann Healthcare System. “The school-based clinics have had a tremendously positive impact on the children, many of whom have no other access to health care services. The clinics have eliminated the barriers to care and have demonstrated a correlation between good health and improved scholastic achievement.”

The largest city in Texas, Houston is known worldwide for its excellent medical facilities. Yet, some communities in the greater Houston area face a dire lack of health care, and it often affects children the most. “Despite the availability of health care services in the area, numerous barriers exist that make it very difficult, if not impossible, for disadvantaged children to receive routine preventive and primary care services,” says Ganelin. Many families live below poverty level, have transportation issues, cannot speak English or simply are embarrassed to ask for help regarding their medical needs.

School-based clinicians report that parents who bring their children for physicals comment that either their children have never had a physical before or they are not used to providers taking time to listen and explain. Because of the clinics, they now receive the critical guidance and education to begin to make appropriate health care decisions for their children. Children now receive immediate care for ear infections, and the progression of potential hearing loss is reduced. Children now receive ongoing education and management of some chronic diseases, such as asthma and diabetes, and the impediment of childhood activities is reduced. Without intervention, many parents would postpone seeking evaluation at community clinics, potentially escalating poor health conditions.

The Jane Long clinic serves almost 4,000 students enrolled at Jane Long Middle School, Sutton Elementary and Benavides Elementary Schools. “The majority of our visits are routine, but they take on a different meaning when you realize these children most likely would not get health care if it weren’t for the clinic,” explains LaTrina Hunt, a physician assistant at the clinic. “We’ve discovered a child with leukemia, a child walking around with a broken arm, severe dental abscesses, not to mention unresolved grief, physical abuse and sexual abuse.”

Schools to host the clinics were selected by identifying students with the highest prevalence of unmet medical and psychosocial needs. The staff, which is composed of a nurse practitioner or physician assistant, social worker, LVN and receptionist, provides a wide range of primary health services, including immunizations, general and athletic physicals, minor acute and injury care, management of some chronic stable illnesses such as asthma or diabetes, counseling and social service assistance, and health education. According to Ganelin, the clinics are designed to become a “medical home” for uninsured children and a secondary access point for insured children.

Measurable results speak volumes about how the school-based centers have impacted the children who receive care. Achievement scores have risen and overall absentee rates have decreased at each school served for two or more years. Significant outcome improvements have been demonstrated for asthma, dental care, mental health and ER usage.

The connection between health care and school performance is clear, says Ganelin. “If children are in school and if their physical and mental health care needs are addressed; then their ability to learn and, ultimately, perform are improved.”

For more information, contact Media Relations.