Valley schools and health centers are partnering to meet state health mandates. What’s behind the trend?

Merced County Office of Education Superintendent of Schools Steve Tietjen, Central California Alliance for Health Chief Health Equity Officer Dr. Omar Guzman and Dignity Health Director of Rural Health Clinics Jessica Escobar, are shown announcing a new health partnership for K-12 students. Video courtesy of MCOE.

From mental health checkups to streamlining vaccinations, school districts and health systems across the Valley are forming more partnerships to create pathways for K-12 preventable care. 

Last week Merced County Office of Education announced its partnership with Dignity Health and Central California Alliance for Health, a Medi-Cal qualified health plan.

For example, last week MCOE and Dignity promoted “Well-Child Checkups,” a campaign aimed at getting parents back on track with vaccination schedules for youth after the pandemic.

The collaborative campaign is designed to raise awareness of the health plan, facilities and providers available so Merced County’s K-12 students are able to join classes on the first day of school with all their required immunizations, MCOE Superintendent of Schools Steve M. Tietjen said at a press conference. 

He noted the enrollment of many students is being delayed because they haven’t gotten the necessary immunizations required by California schools, a situation that’s happening across the Valley.

Speakers urged community members to encourage parents to schedule their children’s vaccination appointments as soon as possible to avoid delays and get in the habit of scheduling consistent check-ups. 

According to the California Department of Public Health, students are required to be protected against measles, Hepatitis B, polio, pertussis (whooping cough) and chickenpox. 

Jessica Escobar, a registered nurse and the new director of Mercy Medical Center’s three rural health clinics said their partnership with the MCOE  is necessary for the health of the entire community. The family care rural clinic is located on East 13th Street and kids care and general medicine clinics are both located on D Street in Merced, 

“Vaccinations help prevent the spread of preventable diseases and illnesses like measles and whooping cough,” she said. “They protect vulnerable populations such as infants, immunocompromised, the elderly, and are continuing to prevent (children) from contracting any serious complications from preventable communicable diseases.”

This is not an isolated concern for Merced. Last month in Modesto, the Stanislaus County Health Department opened an investigation of an unvaccinated child’s measles case. 

Merced County Office of Education Superintendent of Schools Steve M. Tietjen (second to the left) speaks with a Dignity Health representative at a press conference to promote the new “Well-Child Checkups” campaign on April 4, 2024 at the Downtown Professional Development Center. Photo by Vivienne Aguilar.
Merced County Office of Education Superintendent of Schools Steve M. Tietjen (second to the left) speaks with a Dignity Health representative at a press conference to promote the new “Well-Child Checkups” campaign on April 4, 2024 at the Downtown Professional Development Center. Photo by Vivienne Aguilar.

Consequences of the pandemic

Nationwide studies show school-aged children are facing delays in learning and getting healthcare in the aftermath of the COVID pandemic, Escobar said. 

“It caused all kinds of barriers and took parents out of their normal routine, brought healthcare to a halt and now we’re in a state of recovery.”

In Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties, some school districts partnered with local health agencies at the pandemic’s height to address mental and physical health-related issues that had the potential to take kids out of school.

For example, Tracy Unified School District partnered with Community Medical Centers, a federally qualified health center based in San Joaquin, to open its Student Wellness Center last fall to ensure students have the resources they need to stay healthy. 

Samia Basravi, coordinator of prevention services/ district homeless and foster youth liaison for TUSD, said demand for mental health services doubled after COVID.

“The pandemic played a huge part in identifying the need of this process,” she said. 

“We are finding several students experiencing various mental health issues that we hadn’t seen before (like) anxiety, family dynamics, suicide ideations which have surfaced and addressing those needs only at school is not sufficient. You need more follow through. (The Wellness Center) maintains efficiency with regular appointments.”

Similarly, back in 2021, Golden Valley Health Centers opened a school-based facility at Evelyn Hanshaw Middle School in Modesto to address health needs of students and their families. This location offers dental, behavioral, pediatric, family and women’s health care. 

To learn more about required vaccinations visit the California Department of Public Health website (https://www.cdph.ca.gov). 

Vivienne Aguilar is the health equity reporter for the nonprofit Central Valley Journalism Collaborative in collaboration with the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF). 

Marijke Rowland, senior health equity reporter, contributed to this report.

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