Hawaii Island Community Health Center has launched School-Based Health Centers to provide care on-site in three local schools.
This resource for parents and keiki alike are now open at Honaunau Elementary, and Kealakehe Elementary and Intermediate schools in West Hawaii. The School-Based Health Centers (SBHC) will offer much-needed services including well child exams, acute care visits, behavioral health care and dental services.
“A cooperative agreement was formed between the Department of Education and the West Hawaii Community Health Center in February 2021, before the health center merged to become Hawaii Island Community Health Center. This partnership was developed to increase access to health services at schools, reduce barriers to health care, improve health equity, and help students to stay in school so that they can participate in instruction and achieve academic success,” said DOE spokesman Derek Inoshita.
The initial three locations were identified in collaboration between the associated principals, Complex Area Superintendent, and health center leadership, in order to align the services provided with the needs of each school community.
Janette Snelling, superintendent of the West Hawaii Complex Area, said the concept of School-Based Health Centers in West Hawaii was championed by former West Hawaii Complex Area Superintendent Art Souza.
“He was truly visionary in his desire to ensure equitable access to services for our students and their families. Through his efforts, he forged an incredible partnership with the Hawaii Island Community Health Center and I am determined to carry on his legacy,” she said. “Honaunau Elementary, Kealakehe Elementary, and Kealakehe Intermediate Schools are striving to become strong community schools. In this model, where each school serves as a hub of services for their communities, access to health services is a vital component and will ensure that our families are supported so students can fully access their education.”
The program began in mid-December with a soft launch at both Kealakehe and Honaunau Elementary schools.
“During December, we focused on the distribution of fact sheets and information and consent paperwork for interested parents. The first services offered in December were Behavioral Health,” said Hawaii Island Community Health Center spokesperson Emily Crabill.
She said the health center began pursuing a SBHC with the administration at Honaunau in 2016, modeled after other SBHC partnerships across the country with a focus on the specific needs of their students and their ohana.
Crabill said education outcomes and health outcomes are not mutually exclusive.
“HICHC understands that if we want to improve our health outcomes four our youngest patients and community members, then we must start early and meet patients where they are. If students are receiving the care they need they are more likely to perform better in school and will be able to thrive,” she said.
Funding for the program comes from both the Health Resources and Services Administration and the Hawaii Primary Care Association.
According to the health center, any student with a signed consent form may be seen in the School-Based Health Center at the school that they attend.
Each school has a unique schedule based on administration preferences and student needs.
“We have a rotating schedule that allows all the best parts of integrative care to be made available to students, including Behavioral Health, Dental and Enabling Services,” said Crabill.
Students and their families will have access to enabling services teams that address the whole patient and work to connect them to important community organizations to ensure needs are being met to improve education and health outcomes. For example: insurance enrollment and referral to food assistance or other service providers.
“Our School-Based Health Centers should not replace routine care. Our goal is to provide care that is in addition to the care received at a child’s primary doctor’s office. This is also a chance for children who don’t otherwise have access to health care to receive it easily in a school setting,” said Hawaii Island Community Health Center CEO Richard Taaffe. “Parents are so busy these days. It’s our hope that the convenience of a health center at school will reduce students time away from school and parents time away from work.”
Hawaii Island Community Health Center’s School-Based Health Centers at Kealakehe and Honaunau provide primary care services including well child exams, vaccinations, sports physicals, acute care visits (sick visits, injuries etc.) and chronic care visits (asthma, ADHD, allergy shots etc.). Behavior health care and dental services are also be available.
“Our schedule currently includes pediatric psychologists (PHD or PsyD) and pediatricians (MD’s). HICHC’s integrated care approach means that the care team will also consist of nursing staff (RNs), case management/enabling services staff, and medical assistants,” Crabill said.
In the next phase of operation, staff of the school including teachers, counselors, bus drivers, janitorial and kitchen staff will also be eligible to receive primary health care services.
Signing up for school-based health care at Kealakehe and Honaunau is optional and not mandatory.
“Our current sites are set up within the schools but there are various models of School Based Health Care across the nation that use mobile clinics. As we expand to other sites, this option will be considered based on each school’s needs and available space,” said Crabill.
She said the health center has a mobile health unit located in East Hawaii and are in the process of developing a West Hawaii Unit.
“The mobile health units expand the our options for services and the potential to support future schools with physicals, immunizations etc,” she explained.
Although no billing or payments will be taken on-site at the school, when parents complete enrollment forms they provide insurance information, so covered services may be billed to the student’s health insurance.
Uninsured students are able to be seen, and will not receive a bill, but will be connected to the health center’s eligibility team to receive support in applying for health insurance.
Hawaii Island Community Health Center said it is exploring options with the Department of Education in hopes of expanding School-Based Health Centers to other Hawaii Island school locations in 2023 and beyond.
“The hope is to create equitable services across the Island, particularly in remote areas where access to care may be more challenging for families,” said Crabill.
Email Laura Ruminski at lruminski@westhawaiitoday.com.