Healthcare in the Heart of the School Day

When Lisa Ramirez, PhD, entered college, she had lofty goals of becoming an engineer or perhaps a diplomat, but by the end of her first semester, her Psychology 101 class had awakened her love for human behavior and solidified her eventual career path.

Dr. Ramirez first came to MetroHealth as a graduate student, returned for a postdoctoral fellowship, and finally settled in as a faculty member. At that time, the School Health Program (SHP) and the psychology residency program were preparing to launch, so Dr. Ramirez eagerly got involved. Fast forward 13 years, and she is now Director of Community and Behavioral Health for the SHP.

With humble beginnings in a classroom-turned-clinic, the SHP gained traction when a donor-funded mobile unit was acquired. Philanthropic support transformed the program’s reach and redefined what access could look like for students.

This clinic-on-wheels allowed MetroHealth to bring pediatric care to students in their school’s parking lot, which has been critical to SHP’s steady growth and success.

During the first year using the mobile unit, numerous youth who had been struggling in silence were diagnosed with anxiety and depression because the vehicle provided caregivers with space to conduct standardized assessments.

“Meeting students where they are, responding and being part of their care plans, then witnessing the difference this makes has completely changed how I practice, and it became the basis for my expertise in childhood toxic stress and adversity,” Dr. Ramirez reflects.

“If our early supporters hadn’t believed in our vision and provided funding for the mobile unit, the SHP wouldn’t have evolved. Proximity and access are key to the SHP’s success.”

The SHP now operates seven in-school clinics, serves students in three school districts via the mobile unit and provides healthcare access through telehealth platforms.

In those early days, when the SHP mobile unit first arrived at a school, it was often athletes seeking physicals to play sports who were the first students to venture onto the large vehicle in the school lot. Soon, other kids would seek care for everything from checking to see if they had strep throat and a brace for a sprain to work permit physicals for upcoming job opportunities.

Students often grow to trust and bond with SHP staff around their healthcare needs. Along with teachers, coaches and other school staff, SHP caregivers frequently become part of a student’s trusted school support system. SHP’s accessible, confidential nature provides effective “one-stop shopping” for students and families who have complex situations, and who may otherwise go without healthcare, perhaps due to lack of insurance or knowledge about how to access appropriate care.

One young man who came to Cleveland as part of a refugee resettlement effort sought a work permit physical so he could begin to earn money and contribute to his household. Thanks to standardized screening, SHP caregivers uncovered underlying anxiety and depression from the hopelessness that he felt in trying to navigate all the barriers to getting a paid position.

“Health is about the whole person,” said Dr. Ramirez. “Our SHP team has the joy and privilege of prioritizing our students’ physical and mental health. By living the MetroHealth mission of leading the way for a healthier community, we can impact a young student’s life trajectory and support future generations.”

When Dr. Ramirez entered college, she dreamed of becoming an engineer and a diplomat. Today, through her leadership in the School Health Program – and the philanthropic support behind it – she has helped engineer a model of care that removes barriers and brings healthcare into the heart of the school day, while diplomatically building trust with students and families at their most vulnerable moments.

SUPPORT THE SCHOOL HEALTH PROGRAM

To support the School Health Program, please contact Greg Sanders, Vice President of Philanthropy, at 440-592-1319 or gsanders@metrohealth.org. Or, click here to make a donation.