Nemours Children’s Health is partnering with the Seaford School District to provide physical and behavioral health services at an elementary school.
The new state-funded school-based health center at Frederick Douglass Elementary School will look like existing centers operating in the Colonial School District.
The state is seeking to expand these services to high-needs elementary schools, schools with 90% of its students classified as low-income, English learners, or minorities.
Nemours Children’s Health Chief Value Officer Karen Wilding explains what type of services the centers offer.
"Same day acute so it could be that there's sniffles or concerns, allergies, but kind of the typical items that may draw someone down to a school nurse but that requires additional evaluation,” said Wilding. “Immunizations, we have the ability to do school required physicals, and also and perhaps most importantly the ability to help support behavioral health is an area that we feel is just a tremendous opportunity and highly, highly in demand."
The center also will provide nutrition counseling as well as assistance applying for insurance programs and other health and social services. Parental consent is required for any service.
The center doesn’t replace having a medical provider, but help provide access to care, assisting families who can’t leave work due to transportation or other demands.
Wilding explains how Douglass Elementary was selected.
"This was done through a process partnering with the state and identifying there was kind of a matching process that allowed the schools to identify that they were in need and looking for a partner and Nemours to advocate that we were happy to partner with," said Wilding.
Welding notes Nemours has primary care and other services in the area, allowing them to use resources already in place to strengthen and expand their work on the community.
The program with Delaware Department of Health and Social Services and Division of Public Health seeks to assist elementary-aged children.
