COLUMBUS, Ohio — School is a haven for learning, and for many students, it’s also a gateway to consistent medical care.
It’s estimated that more than 20 million children in the United States face obstacles when it comes to accessing essential medical services, leading to gaps in care.
Here's a look inside a program where more than half of the patients lacked consistent medical care—until they were introduced to school-based health care.
The goal is to bridge health care gaps and meet kids where they’re at.
Millions of students walk through school hallways everyday. This is also where you’ll find a growing number of health care providers.
“We're trying to reach the kids who really have no way of getting the regular care that they need," Dr. Kim Hammersmith said. "And so, by coming out to the schools, we meet them where they are."
Dr. Hammersmith leads a unique, traveling dental clinic that is expanding and provides routine dental care during the school day.
Dental care, primary care, vision clinics, diabetes management and mental health services are all school-based programs that Nationwide Children’s Hospital provides to thousands of kids, helping to eliminate barriers and connect kids with care they would otherwise go without.
“There are some children who don't have Medicaid, and some of them were able to use the hospital resources to connect them to Medicaid, which then enables them to have not just dental services, but also other needed health services," Dr. Hammersmith said.
Nearly 85% of the patients served at the school-based dental clinics over the last two years were new to the hospital’s dental program or had not had a dental appointment in the last three years.
For mom Chynna Green and her third-grader, Amir, school-based programs break down obstacles she faces daily.
“I also have my little baby, so it just makes it a little bit more complicated," Green said. "And plus, I don't, I'm not a fan of, like, him missing school and stuff like that for long periods of time.”
Principal David Schottner sees the benefit of the dental clinic for students and believes school-based health care is the future.
“It’s convenient for our families, it helps them take care of their kids, and it helps create a family in the community, which is what we’re all about here,” Schottner said.
“I trust them, and I'm gonna continue as long as they're gonna be at the school because it makes my life so much easier,” Green said.
Nationwide Children’s Hospital works with 21 health care partners across 61 school districts, and their school-based health services are continuing to grow.
The hospital’s program is a model for how school-based health care can be implemented across the nation.