Newcastle County has partnered with school districts and the Delaware School Health Alliance to provide wellness centers to elementary and middle schools in underserved areas.
Announced last week by Brookside Elementary County Commissioner Matt Mayer, the investment will help families and communities with limited resources cope with the trauma students suffered before and during the pandemic. .
The program is a partnership between school districts, county governments, the Delaware School-Based Health Alliance, and others. The Department of Education and Department of Health and Social Services are providing support and guidance.
The four schools currently funded by the program include Lewis L. Redding Middle School (which also has Silver Lake Elementary School), Brookside Elementary School, McCullough Middle School, and Richardson Park Elementary School.
Schools have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with a higher proportion of children and families in need.
The four wellness centers are funded by America Rescue Plan grants. More state and federal funding is being sought to bring the center to more Delaware schools.
According to Delaware’s 2021 Kids Count Report, one in six Delaware children lived in a food-insecure household before the pandemic.
COVID-19 has also delayed medical care in one-third of households with children, the report said.
“The wellness center aims to treat minor illnesses quickly and enable recovery. [students] Get back in the classroom,” said Marihelen Barrett, registered nurse and director of the Delaware school-based Health Alliance. “This is not intended to replace primary care providers.”
Instead, wellness centers work with other school staff, such as nurses and psychologists, and community doctors to develop plans to manage student health and address chronic health problems. Nemours and ChristianaCare are some of the community partners participating in this initiative.
Health needs that can be addressed at school wellness centers include:
- Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Treatment
- nutrition counseling
- Health promotion education
- insurance navigation
- Preventive medicine such as physical examinations, sports health examinations, vaccinations and screenings
- Navigation and coordination of social services
- Referrals and connections to local primary, specialty, oral and behavioral health care
The center does not provide ongoing mental health services, but does provide initial consultations to assist students exploring their next steps.
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The program is still in the interim, but Barrett said the county hopes to have wellness center contracts in early January and a soft launch of services in mid-spring. , is scheduled for the 2023-2024 school year and will be funded through the 2024-2025 school year.
“We wanted to get started because there are so many students struggling with the trauma of the pandemic,” Barrett said. “One of our goals is to teach children health literacy so they understand how to manage and understand their own health.”
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