ALEXANDRIA CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS AWARDED $380,000 FEDERAL GRANT

ALEXANDRIA CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS AWARDED $380,000 FEDERAL GRANT

Funding to Support Much-Needed School-Based Health Care Services

 

  

Alexandria Va.  —  Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) is the recipient of a $380,771 federal grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The funding will help ACPS start a mobile health unit that will provide primary health, basic dental and mental health services to students in the William Ramsay, John Adams and Patrick Henry elementary school communities.

 

The funding is part of $80 million made available through the Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148), signed into law March 23, 2010. Part of the legislation’s aim is improving access to primary, mental and oral health care for school-aged children. The grants are premised on data that show better access to health care reduces the number of school days kids miss, as well as costly and often unnecessary emergency room visits. In addition, they help children with chronic illnesses attend school and provide screenings and health-promoting activities for all students.

 

ACPS is one of only two locations in the Commonwealth of Virginia to receive this funding. HRSA awarded grants to 197 applicants, which included school districts, nonprofits and medical service providers around the country. The mobile health unit that ACPS will operate will join the 1,800 school-based health centers that currently serve more than 1.8 million children. 

 

“This is an investment in creating an exceptional learning environment and educating the whole child,” said Dr. Morton Sherman, superintendent of schools. “We know that children whose physical, social and emotional needs are met are much better learners and perform better throughout their educational careers. We are committed to adding resources to this grant to ensure that it accomplishes its goals.”

 

William Ramsay, Patrick Henry and John Adams serve a combined 2,235 students. Of John Adams’s 820 students, about 65 percent are economically disadvantaged, 17 percent are students with disabilities and 33 percent are English language learners. Seventy-five percent of Patrick Henry’s 586 students are economically disadvantaged, 10 percent are students with disabilities and 34 percent are learning English. Ramsay serves 829 students, 86 percent of whom are economically disadvantaged, 8 percent of whom have disabilities and 52 percent of whom are English language learners.

 

“I know first-hand the health needs of students in these communities, and I witness daily how a little extra care can mean the difference between succeeding and failing academically,” said ACPS Health Services Coordinator Robin Wallin.  “So we are very excited about this new opportunity.” 

 

The next step involves ACPS working with community partners to develop a planning committee and identify service providers for the mobile health project. Administrators expect the unit could roll out as early as the beginning of the 2013-14 school year.

 

Questions about the project can be directed to Wallin at rwallin@acps.k12.va.us or 703-820-5362.