www.eagletimes.com
www.eagletimes.com
Springfield schools bring health care to their campuses By STEPHEN SEITZ Special to the Eagle Times Adam Ameele Director of behavioral health at Springfield Hospital. SPRINGFIELD, Vt. — Springfield Medical Care Systems has joined forces with the town’s schools to place more medical care providers on their campuses. “We’ve kicked this idea around for several years,” said Adam Ameele, the director of behavioral health. “Children are not getting the care they need.” The hospital is able to do this because it is a federally qualified health center. That means they receive government funds meant to improve care in underserved areas. Fees are assessed on a sliding scale. There is also financial assistance offered, should it be necessary. The services provided include: preventive care; ADHD screening and follow-up care; adolescent health; asthma screening and care; acute sickness care; sports physicals; and monitoring medication. Ameele said the idea is to promote wellness, cut down on emergency room visits, and catch children with chronic problems. “Our long-term goal is to get a licensed clinical social worker [LCSW] into every school,” Ameele said. They’ll do short-term interventions, consulting with teachers, administrators and the students. We want to identify barriers that get in the way of children getting proper care.” As things stand now, there are two LCSWs available Monday through Friday during regular school hours. The program also includes a dental hygienist, he added. Lori Twombly is the director of primary-care practice operations. “We’re looking to focus on children with chronic conditions,” she said. “We can see the child during the school day, so they don’t miss classes.That’s less of an inconvenience for the parents, who don’t have to pull their children out of school to see the doctor.” According to a statement from the hospital, this service is not meant to take over from the family physician. “If your child has a doctor outside of school, the health center will work with that doctor to offer care as needed,” reads the statement. Currently, the plan is to provide pediatric care at Springfield High School and Elm Hill School on the second Thursday of each month. Riverside Middle School and Union Street School will receive pediatric cafe on the fourth Thursday of each month.
RE: “Our long-term goal is to get a licensed clinical social worker [LCSW] into every school,” (Adam Ameele)
ReplyDeleteGreat. We have arguably the worst performing school system in the state, with historically the highest dropout rate and the administration is prepared to have a meddlesome, do-gooder, twit scrutinize my parenting? No question child neglect and abuse is rampant. Always has, always will. That's why we have a foster care system. Can assure you few children in Springfield are enduring anything close to tales of my relatives suffering thru the depression on an impoverished, NEK farm. Still, they became very successful, productive members of the greatest generation. Mark my words, this is blatant, liberal social engineering. "So Johnny, would you feel more comfortable wearing a dress to school........."
7:06, that has to be one of the most callous, heartless statements I've heard yet on this blog. You would deprive our children and grandchildren of healthcare because your family had it rough during the Depression? Everybody's family had it rough during the Depression! My family was no exception. Child abuse is rampant and always will be? In your family, maybe. Sounds to me like you're afraid they'll find out you're as nasty to your kids as you are to everyone on this blog!
Deletethe high school already has a social worker, and I can assure you she is far from a "meddlesome, do-gooder, twit" Also important for you to know, that the lunch lady can make the same report to DCF that a social worker can, and is in fact, required to. Anyone who works for or contracts with a school is a mandated reporter. I for one would be glad that my kids had a resource, should they need it.
DeleteI agree 7:06. If children aren't receiving the medical or mental health care they need their parents need to be held accountable and DCF may need to become involved. We have systems in place already to address this problem. Why not fix them, or strengthen them instead of adding another layer of oversight and bureaucracy to expand SMCS empire.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I'm reading it sounds like the beginning of Socialized Medical Care.
ReplyDelete"The hospital is able to do this because it is a federally qualified health center. That means they receive government funds meant to improve care in underserved areas." Underserved Areas, we have a Hospital and Urgent Care in town.
"ADHD screening and follow-up care" Get them on Ritalin?
“We can see the child during the school day, so they don’t miss classes."
They have them corralled to treat them all the same and have them grow up expecting the free care.
Well!!! Everybody who wants America to be #1, raise your hand....
ReplyDeleteNot so fast, 7:06, 8:28 and Roger. We are at present #36 in the world for health care and #29 in the world for education. Every one of those countries ahead of us have even better in-school health care AND better-educated graduates than we do-- and those kids don't graduate expecting "free care.'
They graduate knowing that if they get sick, they won't be bankrupted. Their parents send them to school knowing that if there's a health concern they don't know about, the school will inform them. The parents also know that their children will have far fewer absences due to illness because the school is backing up the parents when it comes to health care.
Whatever happened to that notion that Americans are a generous people? We're not even generous to our children, our schools or our families.